Beijing holds public hearing on transport fare hikes

Beijing held a public hearing on public transit fare hikes on Tuesday, before finalizing a price increase program.

Twenty-five people, including government officials, industry representatives, local legislators, political advisors, and representatives from the general public, attended the hearing and expressed their opinions on two proposed plans on the price hike.

Comparing with the two subway fare pricing plans, two yuan (33 US cents) for trips within three kilometers, or three yuan for a ride within six kilometers, most of the attendees preferred the Plan B, believing commuters with longer trips would have to pay less than the Plan A.

For commuters paying using a smart card, monthly fare reaching more than 100 yuan will receive a 20-percent discount, and monthly costs beyond 150 yuan will be discounted 50 percent. Costs beyond 400 yuan per month will not be eligible for discounts, according to both plans.

Currently, the city has a flat-rate subway fare with unlimited transfers. A single-ride ticket costs two yuan, which is believed to be nowhere near operating costs.

As for the bus fare pricing, passengers using smart card will not get a preferential price, with a base price of 1 yuan under the plan A, while under the plan B, passengers using smart card will have 50 percent discount with the base price of 2 yuan.

"The Plan B for the subway fare pricing is more cost-effective for passengers travelling long, and the Plan B for the bus fare pricing is cheaper for commuters," said Chen Yanyan, an attendee and student with the Beijing University of Technology.

Another attendee, Kong Linghai, advised giving preferential subway prices to the senior citizens.

After the hearing, authorities will further improve the plan based on public opinions and make a finalized program for implementation.

The number of passengers taking the subway hit 3.2 billion last year, an increase of 350 percent from 2007. Subsidies jumped from 13.5 billion yuan in 2010 to 20 billion yuan in 2013.

To ease traffic congestion in the metropolis, the Beijing municipal government reduced bus tickets to as low as 40 Chinese cents (6.4 US cents) and to two yuan for subway tickets ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Prices have not changed since.