Shared umbrellas come to Shanghai

According to a report from thepaper.com on May 24, a shared umbrella service has appeared in Shanghai's Lujiazui area, a finance and trade zone.

Shared umbrellas come to Shanghai. [Photo: thepaper.com]

Similar to other sharing services in China, the shared umbrellas require users to scan QR codes and put down 20 yuan (about 3 U.S. dollars) as a deposit, and users are charged 1 yuan (about 15 U.S. cents) each time they borrow an umbrella.

Similar shared umbrella services have also appeared in many cities since early 2017, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Most drop zones of shared umbrellas are nearby subway stations, business districts, campuses, hotels and residential areas.

While convenient, umbrella sharing services have also seen a few problems. For instance, the damage and losses of umbrellas have led to shortages on rainy days for users. The company behind the service said that it plans to increase the quantities of the umbrellas in the rainy season to ensure that users can rent an umbrella when in need.

Regarding the new service, Shanghai residents have expressed differing opinions. Some people believe that when people need to use umbrellas temporarily or suddenly, the service can meet their needs. Some others have questioned the necessity of the service, saying that the price of a regular umbrella is not expensive and the deposit of 20 yuan is enough to purchase an umbrella for personal use.