Chapter 272
“Have Felix negotiate with the city officials first,” Mira instructed.
“Tell them we will resolve the issue as soon as possible, but we cannot suspend operations.
“The reason is that reorganizing the bikes requires unlocking them.
“With hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of bikes, it’s impossible to physically carry and move every single one. We don’t have the manpower for that.
“If they still refuse, tell them we can no longer operate the business and will have to pull out of Aethelgard entirely p>
It was a drastic measure, a stalling tactic, but Felix was smart enough to read between the lines.
The underlying message was: if we leave, it’s because you forced us out.
If it came down to that, the citizens who had grown accustomed to the convenience
of the bikes would inevitably blame the officials.
At the same time, the officials would have a hard time explaining the situation to their superiors.
Mira firmly believed that the majority of government officials were principled and cared about the public.
The bike-sharing company provided a massive number of jobs and paid substantial taxes to the state.
If they withdrew, the local government’s performance metrics would take a significant hit.
As for the idea that someone else could simply launch a new bike-sharing company after EcoRide left? Impossible.
The moment Solflare withdrew, they would make sure the public knew exactly why, complete with the names of the officials involved and transcripts of their conversations.
If EcoRide struggled with parking issues, would another company magically solve the problem?
No matter how strict the management, they couldn’t watch every single user around the clock.
If a new company couldn’t solve it either, it would expose the officials’ double standards. Did they really think Solflare would just quietly accept that? It would tarnish the reputation of the entire city administration.
EcoRide had expanded nationwide. The people backing it were no lightweights.
If Aethelgard was the only city without the service, it would become a permanent stain on that official’s record.
There was another factor to consider. Before heading to Aethelgard, Mira and the others had instructed Felix to build good relationships within the local government.
EcoRide wasn’t entirely without allies in the municipal departments.
The official causing trouble would have to worry about their colleagues using this incident as leverage to oust them.
After finishing the call, Mira dialed Owen’s number. Before the call could even connect, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from him.
Owen had also received a call from Felix.
The two of them, along with their mentor, headed straight to the office for an emergency executive
meeting. They also made sure to potify Harvey Rivers.
Harvey was a shareholder now. He was slated for a handsome dividend at the end of the year, which meant he had the right to know what was happening and an obligation to help.
Ultimately, the problem had to be solved. If it wasn’t, people in other regions would copy the tactic and gang up on them.
During the executive meeting, the majority suggested increasing management
efforts, deploying patrols, and promptly relocating improperly parked bikes.
The issue was that GPS tracking couldn’t pinpoint a bike’s location down to a few feet. That meant they couldn’t rely on location data alone to determine ifa user had parked within the designated yellow lines
But if they went with the patrol route, how many people would they need to hire to constantly monitor the streets?
With such a massive area to cover, the costs would be astronomical.
Not only would labor costs skyrocket, but the users who parked improperly would continue to do whatever they wanted, facing no consequences.
“What’s your take?” Mira asked, looking at Owen.
“I think we should borrow the strategy we used to prevent the bikes from being vandalized,” he replied.
“You mean crowdsourcing it to the public p>
“Exactly. It’s the most efficient and effective method p>
Mira nodded. She had actually been thinking the exact same thing. Great minds thought alike.
“Let’s do it p>
When they outlined the specifics of the plan, the room filled with approving looks.
“It’s a brilliant idea. We get the whole city working for us, and the people parking improperly foot the bill p>
“Whenever there’s a crisis, we have to rely on Mr. Lance and the boss. Our ideas pale in comparison p>