Meet the unknowns behind the bike-sharing business

Wang Shuo wheels a malfunctioning bike with the mini platform trailer he invented on a street in Tongzhou district, Beijing, April 27,2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Mind helps hands

Wang will never forget Oct 17, 2016. It was the second day of his job and he got totally wet in a heavy rain.

"I have no regret for choosing this job," he replied when asked about that day. "For one thing, I think this is novel business and it makes me look cool. For another, it is more than meaningful. I have been encouraged by the spirit of my colleagues and buddies."

Compared with his other experiences, working in rain or snow is not even noteworthy. Wang has dived into a river to retrieve a bike thrown purposely by someone. He has spent nearly a week searching for a bike locked in a home for personal use. He has climbed 17 floors to locate a bike.

His hands got blisters in the first months as he had to lift 30 to 40 bikes, each weighing 17 kg, out of hutongs for repair or to the public places where they can serve more users every day.

His past experience as a salesman of electrical products helped him come up with a solution to ease the physical challenges.

He designed and made a mini platform trailer with a blank space in the center where the back wheel of the bike can fit in. This invention not only helped him save the damaged shared bikes more easily but also won him a prize for innovation by the company.

"Our job not merely requires physical strength, but also intelligent dedication," Wang said."We cooperate very well with other teams. We keep a record of the number of bikes we relocated or rearranged in one place and report that to the big data team to help them make the final decision on best options of bike releases in one place. And we also give users' feedback or frequent malfunctions to bike design team."