City elevators to be fitted with QR codes

All 270,000 elevators in use in Shanghai will have a QR code by the end of September, allowing riders to alert authorities and maintenance workers when they are trapped, the city's market watchdog announced on Friday. 

By scanning the “Shanghai smart elevator” code, they can access basic information about the elevator such as its location to report problems. 

If trapped, they can alert authorities, property management staff and maintenance and repair workers by scanning the code and then entering the city's intelligent elevator-monitoring system, the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation said.

They will be able to check the rescue process in real time and track rescue workers via their cellphones, the administration said. 

"The whole process is visible, which will ease their anxiety while waiting," said administration official Zhang Yusong. 

"The system will record the whole rescue process at the same time, cutting the response time of rescue workers and improving rescue efficiency," he said. 

Property management staff can access information such as an elevator’s maintenance and repair history, inspection records and whether passengers have been trapped in the past by scanning the code, while supervision and management officials can also check maintenance and repair, management information and historic records via the code, the administration said. 

It is expected that about 50,000 elevators in the city will have the code by mid-July, with all covered by the end of September. 

The system will support the handling of emergencies, improve safety and raise supervision and management efficiency, the administration said.