Chinese Residential Complex Unveils Pay-Per-Ride Elevators

The Biguiyuan residential complex in Hangzhou, China’s Lin’an District, has unveiled “public transit elevators” that charge 1 yuan (US$0.16) per ride, according to a report by Sixth Tone on May 19. The complex currently accommodates 1,849 households, all of them living in six-story buildings constructed some 20 years ago. Around 30% of the residents are older than 60, according to community official Du Weidong, and, thus, elevator-less buildings were becoming a concern. Installing an elevator costs around 300,000 yuan (US$46,621) with government subsidies, which can be prohibitively expensive if not shared by a large pool of residents. The Biguiyuan complex has settled on this novel solution: The company installing the elevators bears cost of construction and maintenance, while the residents pay to use the facilities. The service provider helped the residents set up cashless payment accounts, and the elevator scans a resident’s face to deduct 1 yuan per use, regardless of how many people are inside. Residents can send visitors a QR code to use the service. This initiative could solve the problem of how to raise funds for facilities much-needed by elderly residents and, so far, 75 elevators have been installed with plans to add 39 more by the end of May.