BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- New fares are now in place on Beijing's public transport. Having come into effect on Sunday, the new system doubles the current prices on average, but does include some discount schemes.
A new pricing policy ending a 7-year economical travelling in the Chinese capital.
Under the new fares for public transport, the minimum price for a subway ride will be 3 yuan. It covers a ride of 6 km, compared with the current flat-fare of 2 yuan with unlimited transfers. The price will increase with longer travel distances.
For bus passengers, a ride of 10 km will be 2 yuan, and 1 yuan for every further 5 kilometers. Smart card users will enjoy a 50 percent discount and student card users 75 percent discount.
Sunday morning also saw four new subway sections go into operation. Among them, subway line 7 is brand-new, linking the city's east and west.
"I came a long way for this. I just wanted to experience the launching of this new subway line," said a passenger.
The fare hike means thousands of yuan more expense for regular subway travellers.
And many are expecting a better service from subway operators.
"We plan to put more trains into operation to improve our service. It's part of our effort to innovate technology and management," said a Beijing subway operator.
The number of passengers taking the subway hit 3.2 billion last year in Beijing, 350 percent more than in 2007.
Meanwhile, subsidies jumped from 13.5 billion yuan in 2010 to 20 billion yuan in 2013. It remains to be seen whether the higher prices will reflect more benefits to passengers.
(Source: CNTV.com)
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