Home » Metro » Public Services
Commuters want cool-air blast
By Zha Minjie |
August 18, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SQUASHED like sardines but hardly feeling the cool breeze from the air-conditioners, that's how passengers feel in some of city's subway trains and buses.
With the city in the grip of a heat wave in recent days, the air conditioning in public transport facilities has come in for withering criticism from commuters. Some bus drivers have been accused of tamping down on the air conditioning while the cooling system in subway trains has suffered frequent breakdowns.
The local bus watchdog said it would start putting up signs on city buses, saying "passengers are entitled not to pay fares if buses fail to keep the air-conditioner/heater on" during the scorching summer and chilly winter.
According to local regulation, bus operators should turn on the air-conditioning when temperatures in the bus surpass 28 degrees Celsius from June 1 to September 30 or drop below 12 degrees from December 1 to April 1.
Fei Tanhao, an official with Pudong bus company, conceded that sometimes it was hard to adjust the air conditioning to satisfy all passengers as some might feel hot and others cold.
Similar is the dilemma on the metro.
The highly-crowded train carriages are still an uncomfortable means to travel regardless of the air conditioning, according to the metro operator, Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.
But the operator said it would increase on-board spot checks to prevent breakdowns. Passengers can also dial a hotline (6437-0000) to inform subway staff about faulty air conditioning.
With the city in the grip of a heat wave in recent days, the air conditioning in public transport facilities has come in for withering criticism from commuters. Some bus drivers have been accused of tamping down on the air conditioning while the cooling system in subway trains has suffered frequent breakdowns.
The local bus watchdog said it would start putting up signs on city buses, saying "passengers are entitled not to pay fares if buses fail to keep the air-conditioner/heater on" during the scorching summer and chilly winter.
According to local regulation, bus operators should turn on the air-conditioning when temperatures in the bus surpass 28 degrees Celsius from June 1 to September 30 or drop below 12 degrees from December 1 to April 1.
Fei Tanhao, an official with Pudong bus company, conceded that sometimes it was hard to adjust the air conditioning to satisfy all passengers as some might feel hot and others cold.
Similar is the dilemma on the metro.
The highly-crowded train carriages are still an uncomfortable means to travel regardless of the air conditioning, according to the metro operator, Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.
But the operator said it would increase on-board spot checks to prevent breakdowns. Passengers can also dial a hotline (6437-0000) to inform subway staff about faulty air conditioning.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
