Beijing calls for 3:1 ratio of prices for subway, bus tickets

Passengers buy tickets for two yuan each (32 US cents) at Shuangjing Station of Subway Line 10 in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 14, 2013. [File photo: Xinhua]

In response to Beijing's call for increasing the cost of public transport, Beijing Public Transport Group suggests that bus fares be one-third of subway fares, the Beijing Times reported on Tuesday.

This means that, if lifting bus fares to two yuan (32 US cents), subway fares should be six yuan.

To ease traffic congestion, Beijing reduced bus tickets to as low as 4 jiao (6 US cents) and two yuan (32 US cents) for subway tickets ahead of the Olympics in 2008. Since then, prices have not changed.

Low ticket prices and the advantages of faster commute times have more people using the subway for city travel, even if they are only journeying a short distance.

The number of bus riders in Beijing has reduced by 370 million since 2009 - or 250,000 every day.

Beijing municipal government is soliciting public opinion on a multi-tier fare system, which is believed to improve services and cover huge losses incurred from the present public transport pricing system.