Umbrellas the latest trend in China’s sharing economy
Convenience brollies just the latest offering as consumers embrace the shared economy
Commuters across China have readily hopped on the bike sharing craze, and now a new sharing economy trend will keep them from ever getting caught in the rain, mainland media reported.
Major Chinese cities have rolled out shared-umbrella schemes, in which customers rent brollies by paying a refundable deposit and scanning a QR code.
Molisan, the Shanghai-based umbrella rental start-up, has launched trials in the metro systems in Guangzhou, China’s third largest city, and Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province.
At least six stations on the Guangzhou Metro have adopted the scheme, which charges a 20 yuan (US$2.90) deposit payable via WeChat, according to the Information Times.
The rental period is 15 days, which renters can renew for three additional days after which they will be charged a late penalty of 0.5 yuan per day.
“This is very convenient, and doesn’t require registering personal information,” the paper quoted an umbrella rental user as saying. “After you’re done using the umbrella, you can also get the deposit back at any time.”