China's first automatic underground shared bike parking system is to open to the public in Chengdu by the end of November.

The parking system, developed by a tech company based in Tianjin, is environmentally friendly and can help free up street space and address the problem of overcrowding and mass parking of shared bikes.

This dynamic image shows how the parking system operates above ground. (Photo: thepaper.cn)

Part of the project stands above ground, while the rest of it, which measures 8 meters wide and 10 meters deep, is underground.

The bike parking system has eight floors and 224 stalls. A carrier lifts and puts bikes into any of the open stalls.

Besides personal bikes, four brands of shared bikes, including Mobike, Ofo and Hellobike, are allowed to be put into the parking system.

This dynamic image shows how the parking system operates under ground. (Photo: thepaper.cn)

The operation is quite easy. The users may push the bike into the guide slot to the baffle, then leave the warning area to swipe a IC card or bank card. Finally a mechanical trailer enters the garage to store the bike. The process will take between 5 to 12 seconds.

To get a bike out, a person just needs to swipe an IC card or a press button. The manipulator will place the bike in the slot and lift it above ground, which takes 8 to 15 seconds.

A LED above the ground shows how many slots are in use and how many are available.

The system is under test and will be officially opened to the public later in November.

An overview of the parking system. (Photo: IC)