Elevator Fee Forces Children To Climb 22 Floors For Lunch

A building's management company was so tired of people using their elevators that they started charging for rides, but now schoolchildren have to climb several flights of stairs to get to lunch.

According to Shanghaiist, the building is a residential building in Kunming, in Southwest China, with restaurants that serve primary school lunches on floors five, 20, and 22. Because of the restaurants, there were so many children going up and down every day that the building decided to start charging 5 yuan, or 80 cents, to ride the elevator. Building management says the fee is to cover maintenance on the elevators, which require more service because of the traffic. But as a result of the charge, many elementary school children are being forced to climb 22 flights of stairs every day before lunch. That's a lot for little kids, who are reportedly frequently reduced to tears by the effort.

Parents are upset by the charge, but it is reportedly legal for the building management to charge an elevator fee. Police say the main goal is probably to chase away the restaurants, but if the children are climbing for lunch, it does not sound like the fee has cost the restaurants' business yet. The restaurants have reportedly been negotiating with the building, and the fee has been temporarily canceled while discussions take place.