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This entrepreneur is donating unwanted bike-sharing cycles to underprivileged students in Myanmar – TechCrunch

Published

4 years ago

June 6, 2019

What is the world to do with the graveyards of dockless bicycles left over after China’s bike sharing startups retreated from global markets?

One man has come up with the best idea to date: donate them to students who need them.

Entrepreneur Mike Than Tun Win has bought 10,000 bikes from bike-sharing companies which he plans to provide to school children across Myanmar, many of who walk miles to school and, more broadly, lack transportation for their families.

“It’s a common sight to see lines and lines of students walking long distances from home to school in rural villages,” Than explained. “Some students can walk up to one hour from home to school and the families can hardly afford a simple form of transport like bicycle or motorcycle… a school bus is almost unheard of to the students in rural villages.”

To bridge the gap, Than — whose companies include tech entrepreneurship project 8bod.com and travel startup flymya.com — created a non-profit organization called LessWalk which is buying up the bikes and making them suitable for students.

That means fitting them with a second seat, switching the QR code-scan lock for a regular key lock and then shipping them to Myanmar. Many of the bikes have been bought from liquidators — who took control of oBike’s shuttered business in Singapore and inherited Ofo’s abandoned fleets — which makes their acquisition cheaper than regular bikes. But still, the fixes and shipping costs are estimated at around $35-$40 per bike.

FreeWalk is modifying bikes to make them suitable for underprivileged students who walk to school in Myanmar

Than described those prices as “a rare once in a lifetime opportunity” to make a positive impact, but there’s still a significant cost attached to the project.

Than told TechCrunch that the project is funded with around $400,000 in capital, half of which has come from donations and sponsors with Than himself providing the rest.

“Suddenly, there was an opportunity to buy [these bikes] at fraction of price,” he said in an interview. “The benefit it can develop is well beyond that cost.”

Right now, Than said that he has received around 4,000 bikes, which are currently warehoused in Myanmar. Rather than sad, well-used or damaged cycles, LessWalk has bought itself unused, new-generation products that hadn’t been deployed to the streets. Once sitting in a warehouse awaiting a rollout with startups, the adapted bikes will be distributed to students this year.

LessWalk has around 4,000 former bike sharing cycles in its warehouse in Myanmar

But giving out thousands of bicycles is no easy feat given that Myanmar has a population of over 50 million people and more than nine million students.

Than said he’s currently in contact with government organizations and civic groups in Myanmar to identify potential beneficiaries. The primary focus is students aged 13-16 who walk 2km or more to school each day and part of families without transport. He envisages that bikes will be given out in batches every two weeks for two or three months with support from volunteer groups and the government, but a lot of the operational approach is still to be defined.

“I’m only halfway through the journey. The remaining 50 percent is making sure we have an impact,” Than told TechCrunch.

Volunteers from LessWalk move former Ofo bikes into storage ahead of their distribution to students in Myanmar

Further down the line, he is hopeful that he can inspire “global friends” to follow his lead and set up similar donation programs that will put the hundreds of thousands of abandoned bikes to work, instead of creating yet more urban trash. Already, Than said he is fielding interest from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

Donations aren’t the only sustainable future for fleets of former Mobike and Ofo bikes, in some cases the people who ran the services are taking control. Indeed, a number of Mobike executives got together to buy out the company’s European business from Meituan — the on-demand giant that owns Mobike — for $20 million. That deal is scheduled to close this month.

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Tech News

How To Make Sure Yours Have The Latest Firmware Installed

Published

2 hours ago

June 3, 2023

Francisco Peguero

Before checking your AirPods’ firmware version, first make sure you have the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS installed. To do this, open Settings (or System Settings on Mac), go to General, and then Software Update. If an update is available, download and install it before proceeding to check your AirPods firmware.

Provided your iPhone or iPad is running the latest software, here’s how to check firmware version of your AirPods:

Open Settings.
Tap Bluetooth.
Tap the info button next to your AirPods.
Look for the firmware version under the “About” section.

If you use your AirPods with a Mac, follow these steps to check the firmware version:

Press and hold the Option key, then select the Apple menu and System Information.
Click on Bluetooth.
Look for the “Firmware Version” under your AirPods.

Once you’ve made a note of the AirPods’ firmware version, you’ll need to make sure they’re running the latest update by going to Apple’s website, and scrolling down to the “Latest firmware versions” section. Locate your AirPods in the list, and verify they’re running the firmware mentioned next to the product name.

Tech News

This Electric BMW Existed Long Before The I3 And Looked Way Better

Published

3 hours ago

June 3, 2023

Francisco Peguero

BMW’s first electric car, the 1602e, was based on the 02 Series, the entry-level BMW, which were essentially smaller-wheelbase versions of the New Class sedans. The 02 Series spawned a variety of models like 2002, 1802, and 1502 (characterized by the displacement of their four-cylinder motors), but BMW’s 1602 came first. Designed by then-design director Wilhelm Hofmeister (the man behind the “Hofmeister Kink”), BMW unveiled the first batch of 1602e electric prototypes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games as support vehicles for marathon events.

BMW

It has a 32 kW electric motor developed by Bosch, producing a paltry 43 horsepower. The motor draws juice from a dozen 12-volt Varta lead-acid batteries neatly tucked in the engine bay, weighing 350 kg or more than 770 pounds. Despite this, the BMW 1602e had a 62 mph top speed and could accelerate from zero to 31 mph in about eight seconds. However, it only musters 19 miles of range before needing to recharge despite having regenerative braking.

BMW

On the plus side, the 1602e looks way better than the i3, and it’s a prime candidate for an electric restomod with new-age motors and energy-dense batteries. If BMW can do it with classic Minis, the 1602 deserves an electric comeback, too.

Tech News

5 Of The Best PS2 Games Still Worth Playing If You Haven’t

Published

4 hours ago

June 3, 2023

Francisco Peguero

There are enough games in the “Final Fantasy” lineup to spark contentious debate about which is best, but “Final Fantasy X” deserves recognition as a turning point for the series. It’s also one of the PS2’s best games and is widely regarded as one of the best RPGs ever. The game took the series to new cinematic heights by offering convincing voice acting for an endearing cast of characters featured in a tear-jerking narrative.

You play primarily as Tidus, a standout athlete in the game’s enjoyable side activity, blitzball. While competing, he experiences a world-ending reality after witnessing his home’s destruction by a malevolent force called Sin. You’ll embark on a quest to learn how to defeat it, meeting helpful new comrades along the way.

“Final Fantasy X” is the PlayStation 2 game that JRPG fans recommend en masse to series and genre newcomers. It faithfully upholds tradition with a turn-based combat system that checks all the boxes for the usual gameplay tropes, such as multi-member battle parties, creature summoning, attack-type bonuses, and character-specific special moves.

In addition, the Sphere system was a unique take on character progression that brought a non-linear upgrade path which opened up new ability possibilities for characters that wouldn’t traditionally have them. The unique progression system, a memorable world, and an engaging narrative helped make “Final Fantasy X” a standout title in the franchise and a landmark PS2 game.