Easy to overlook. You’ve been on the Metro for an hour to come outside and it’s bucketing down. And of course you did not bring an umbrella. Not a problem! For the Nanjing Metro is here to help. And this is one thing they got right.
It was only when this correspondent, a Nanjing resident for over 20 years and frequenter of the Nanjing Metro, was all alone on the platform waiting a never ending 14 minutes for the last train at 23:00 one night that he noticed it; an umbrella-borrowing facility.
It turns out that every last station on the Nanjing Metro network has such. And in a surprising feat of genius as a place well known for its lack thereof (see “All Change Here for Nanjing Metro’s most Ridiculous Interchanges” ), umbrellas may be borrowed from any station and returned to any other station. All it’s going to cost you is ¥30 by way of a deposit; return the umbrella safe and sound and get your money back.
Each of the umbrella-borrowing facilities are usually located beside the Metro station’s Customer Service Centre in the station hall, ie above platform level. But, while the accompanying instructions are bilingual, as almost everything is on the Nanjing Metro, they are also likely a little out of date.
So first up, ignore any advice to search for a mini program on Alipay. Instead, download the app “与宁同行”, and yes, that’s available for iOS. You can also choose to pay the deposit using cash, but seriously?
Then open the app and go through the registration procedure, not forgetting to scroll all the way to the bottom of the terms and conditions as a means to prove that you have read them before clicking accept, otherwise you will not be able to proceed further.
Almost done. Go now to the “Home” page and select the umbrella picture, followed by yet another umbrella picture, at which point it is necessary to select the line and station from which you shall be borrowing the umbrella; it’s all the Chinese you are going to need. That all done, it’s time to pay!
Hence to that Customer Service Centre. Upon payment complete, present the code shown the member of staff on duty. They will then take your phone, mess with it for a bit and, incredulously, fill in a piece of paper, before proceeding to unlock your umbrella and give it to you like it’s Christmas.
The return process is a simple as going to any Customer Service Centre and presenting them with the umbrella, whereupon your money shall be returned magically, or rather, electronically. You have 7 days to do so.
As a side note, when it’s raining like hell and you don’t have an umbrella, but you are near a Metro station, why spend the money on buying one?
