I tried using a bike-sharing app all day and my conclusion is that people are assholes

Photo credit: Mobike.

Bike sharing is becoming ubiquitous in China’s major cities. You’d be hard-pressed to walk through downtown Shanghai without spotting at least one orange Mobike or a bright yellow Ofo, the two main contenders in the country’s new transportation war.

As someone who owns an electric scooter, I’ve never had to rent a bike. But for one day, I abandoned my battery-powered baby and tried to Mobike around Shanghai.

My takeaway? People suck.

Great. Now no one can use this bike. Photo credit: Tech in Asia.

10:00 am: Where the hell is my bike?

It’s a drizzly day. Not ideal for biking. But I’m incapable of working from home, so I open Mobike’s app and look for a bike to get me to a coffee shop.

I’ve heard enough rants from friends to know about the hidden Mobike problem, where some jerk hides a bike deep inside their neighborhood compound – some of which are locked – so they can keep it for themselves. One friend even found a Mobike on the 15th floor of their apartment building.

To avoid that, I scan for a bike that looks like it’s parked next to the street. Lucky me – there’s a bike just a few hundred meters away. I tap on the bike, which reserves it for 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, said bike is nowhere to be found. I circle around a few times to make sure I’m not being stupid before opening the app again. I cancel the reservation – no fees charged – and find another one.

But the same thing happens – again.

It’s starting to rain harder and my mood sours. I spot another Mobike about two blocks away in the direction of the coffee shop. At this point, I probably would’ve been halfway to the coffee shop already if I’d gone on foot.

12:45 pm

00:23 am: Midnight muddle

Silver lining