Public Bicycles and Age Discrimination

[laogui]

Age discrimination - again

 

In Suzhou 70 year olds are not allowed to use the 公用自行车.  The bland fuwuyuan saw nothing discriminatory or unusual in that.  If Chinese used a shrug, she would have shrugged, but I haven't seen a shrug in the body language vocabulary.

 

I was pretty angry ー pretty angry is a euphemism.  Substitute another bisyllabic word of the form f*g.

 

[Guest]

16 hours ago, laogui said:

In Suzhou 70 year olds are not allowed to use the 公用自行车.  The bland fuwuyuan saw nothing discriminatory or unusual in that.  If Chinese used a shrug, she would have shrugged, but I haven't seen a shrug in the body language vocabulary.

 

 

Blimey, I'm sorry to hear about that. How were you rejected and what public bike service was it? Was it just a local Suzhou variety, or something more public/spread out like Mobike/Ofo? Hope it can all get sorted or an alternative arrangement found soon.

[laogui]

Age discrimination - again

 

In Suzhou 70 year olds are not allowed to use the 公用自行车.  The bland fuwuyuan saw nothing discriminatory or unusual in that.  If Chinese used a shrug, she would have shrugged, but I haven't seen a shrug in the body language vocabulary.

 

I was pretty angry ー pretty angry is a euphemism.  Substitute another bisyllabic word of the form f*g.

 

Suzhou Tourism Administration

Suzhou Pass

Railway Station Tourism Information Center

www.visitsz.com

0512-65196718

 

This is from the Suzhou Travel Guide

Published by Suzhou Tourist Administration.

 

Same treatment applies in universities too.  At least I get free admission to many Museums...

 

 

 

[imron]

Discussion of bicycles split out from the 'Your Accommodation in China' thread.

[lips]

59 minutes ago, laogui said:

I get free admission to many Museums...

........... reverse age discrimination? 

[laogui]

Well you could phrase it thus, but it is payback for 50 years of paying taxes - part of the pension.  However they give with one hand and take back with the other.

Edited April 10, 2017 at 09:07 AM by laogui
grammar

[lips]

Sorry, I didn't know using a bike is part of the pension in China.  My bad.

[Shelley]

According to this article, you can't hold a driving license over 70 either. I didn't realise things were so different for the older folk. I wonder why.

 

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d6b544f334d7a4d/share_p.html

[Lu]

I imagine the driving license part is because when people get older, their reaction time increases, their reflexes go a bit rusty, their eyesight is often not as good - so a safety thing. I think there are other countries that require people over a certain age to take a test every few years if they want to continue to drive.

 

I don't know why a 70-year-old can't rent a bicycle, but my first thought would be that the rental company is worried about the safety of the person. If an old person falls, it's often more serious than the same fall would be for a younger person.

 

Not that I necessarily agree with that idea. There are plenty of 70+-year-olds who are fitter than people half their age and perfectly capable of riding a bike all day long. But a rental company deals with averages and risks and such, and gets to make its own rules. It's annoying, but as Laogui noticed, the age discrimination goes both ways.

[abcdefg]

Kunming has 3 different public bike systems. None has an age restriction so far as I am aware. Sometimes riding them is pretty hazardous because of road conditions and traffic. I use them, but probably shouldn't, not being a skilled rider.

 

About free or reduced cost admission to museums and parks, many just give the discount to Chinese over a certain age. I believe the reasoning is that they have made contributions to China in their earlier years, and now society is giving them something back. Same reason old folks here can ride the bus free, using an "爱心卡。"

 

Since I never contributed here early on, is it really so surprising that I be excluded from these pensioner fringe benefits? Doesn't really seem to me that I should be globally entitled. Odd that you feel China owes you anything as a newly-arrived foreigner, Laogui. Curious about your reasoning.

[laogui]

abcdefg: In fact I never said I felt the entitlements were a right, I just commented that they are given these days.  China has removed most differentiations against foreigners.  Both you and lips read things I never said. However I did comment on the denial of privileges.  That denial extends to admission to universities, to study, although China has the famous proverb 活到老，学到老。

The public use bicycles are paid for via a pre-paid card system.  The university enrolment is also paid.  I live in China and contribute to the economy, for the sole purpose of study.

Edited May 20, 2017 at 01:10 AM by laogui
additional afterthought text.

[889]

At least one of the Kunming bike systems has a cut-off of 65 years; "年龄 租车者须12岁至65岁."

http://society.yunnan.cn/html/2017-02/11/content_4726334.htm

[889]

It turns out OFO also has an age limit of 65, and you probably won't be covered by their insurance if you're over it.

 

Mobike, so far as I can find out, has no maximum age limit.

[abcdefg]

@889 -- I hope you won't rat me out. I use both of these on a regular basis.

[889]

But since you have to provide your passport and, I recall, your birthdate, I just assumed OFO's system would kick you out. I take it doesn't?

 

Anyway, there's a recent news article out there I can't find at the moment that indicates OFO won't cover you if there's an accident and you're over or under age.

[abcdefg]

The system hasn't caught up with me so far and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't. These shared bikes sure are convenient. I'm willing to take the risk of riding uninsured.

[889]

This is certainly confusing.

 

OFO has a Chinese and an international app. The Chinese app takes only Alipay and WeChat and requires registration with ID. The international app takes credit cards only, but doesn't seem to require any ID. So OFO doesn't know your age.

 

This is Android. Apple may be different again.