Fare dodgers to get strike on personal credit profiles

The local government will make fare dodging a violation that can end up in a resident's personal credit profile starting January 1 as part of the city's recently revamped subway regulations, officials said at a press conference Thursday.

The amended Shanghai Subway Management Act, which has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, will allow subway operators to fine turnstile jumpers and other fare dodgers up to 55 yuan ($9.00), or five times the price of the metro system's most expensive one-way fare, said Ding Wei, vice director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress.

The amended law authorized 50 yuan to 500 yuan fines for passengers who use another person's identification to take advantage of free fares - such as those offered to senior citizens. Passengers who use forged identification or documents to get free fares will be handed over to police for administrative fines or detention.

These infractions will be documented and added to the violator's profile on the city's personal credit information system, Ding said.

The recently created credit system serves as another deterrent for violators. The credit system tracks infractions like fare dodging and can hurt a resident's ability to obtain a bank loan in the future.

The amended law will make other changes to how the city's subway system operates. In the case of a breakdown or delay that lasts longer than 15 minutes, the city's metro operators will be required to issue documents to passengers that acknowledge the problem.

Passengers will also be entitled to a full refund for their fares.

The commission also considered adding a food ban to the amended law due to numerous complaints about passengers eating on the subway. In the end, the commission decided not to include the measure.