Public hearing for Beijing bus, subway fare hikes
Print Edition
BEIJING will hold a public hearing on subway and bus fare hikes later this month as the city’s government seeks to implement a zone fare option for public transport.
Government officials, industry representatives, local legislators, political advisors, and members of the public will attend the hearing on October 28, a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission said yesterday.
The spokesman unveiled two proposed plans for the new subway fares: two yuan (33 US cents) for trips within three kilometers, or three yuan for a ride within six kilometers. Under both plans, commuters pay more for longer trips.
For commuters paying using a smart card, monthly fare costs after 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. A single ride would average around 4.3 yuan to 4.4 yuan under the two plans, said the spokesman.
Currently, the city has a flatrate subway fare with unlimited transfers. A single-ride ticket costs two yuan — believed to be nowhere near operating costs.
Due to rising passenger numbers and huge losses by the public transport system, the government has been considering fare hikes to help cut its financial subsidy.
According to two proposed plans for buses, average bus fare will be raised to 1.3 yuan or 1.5 yuan.
Despite fare hikes, the Beijing municipal government will still finance 50 percent of subway operation costs and 62 percent of bus operation costs.
The number of subway passengers 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.
The city has changed bus and subway ticket prices four times since 1978, most recently seven years ago. Then Beijing reduced bus tickets to as low as four jiao (six US cents) and two yuan for subway tickets.
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