Should Beijing Raise Subway Fares?

In an attempt to boost municipal coffers, some members of Beijing's local government have suggested raising prices on the city's famously affordable subway system.

The proposal has recently caught attention after local media quoted an economics commentator for state-run China National Radio saying the fares should be raised because low prices have encouraged a huge number of people to flood into the subways "regardless of whether they have anything to do" (in Chinese).

Currently, passengers pay 2 yuan (33 U.S. cents) per ride on the Beijing subway, regardless of destination. But amid a crushing flow of passengers, particularly during rush hour, some are suggesting the city move to a distance-based fare.

The Beijing subway, which was built in the 1960s but only opened to the public in 1971, is the world's longest, covering 456 kilometers (283 miles). Four new subway lines were recently added to bring the total to 17. But despite additional lines and stops, the fare for a subway ride in the capital has remained at 2 yuan since 2007.

The capital is looking to boost revenue after a statement from the environmental commission said earlier this month that the government's cost to subsidize public transit is growing. The city's public transportation bill could rise to as much as 18 billion yuan this year, up from 12.8 billion yuan in 2010, according to China Daily, with as many as 10 million passengers climbing on board daily.

Many other Chinese cities, including both Shanghai and Hong Kong, use a distance-based fare system for their subways, but Beijing has maintained its cheap tickets in part to encourage the use of public transportation in a city already plagued by pollution exacerbated by increasing private car use.

City legislator Ning Bin suggested Beijing charge passengers according to trip length, with a price cap of around 8-10 yuan, according to China Daily.

The idea of raising fares largely met with scorn on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging service, where some users complained they were already dealing with inflation in other areas of their lives.

"Subways are basically a service provided to the common people. Why raise the price? Everything is going up except regular people's wages," one Weibo user wrote in a sentiment repeated widely on the site.

Users from other cities dismissed the complaints of Beijing residents, saying the capital had enjoyed low prices for long enough.

"One-way trips in Shanghai usually cost five. If Beijing doesn't go up, how will that make Shanghai feel?" wrote one microblogger.

Source: Wall Street Journal  by china realtime

from China Travel & Tourism News http://www.chinatraveltourismnews.com/

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