CRI听力:Public Hearing for Beijing Bus, Subway Fare Hikes

Government officials, industry representatives, local legislators, political advisors, and members of the public have attended the hearing.

Two proposed plans for the new subway fares have been unveiled: one keeping the price at two yuan, or around 30 US cents, for trips within three kilometers, another at three yuan, or nearly 50 cents, for a ride within six kilometers.

Under each plans, commuters would pay more for longer trips.

Zhu Yun from East Beijing says she prefers the second plan.

"For my part I prefer the second one. It is easier to count and more favorable for people who take longer trips."

For commuters paying with 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.

Li Sufang is an official of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission.

"In practice, most commuters take subways twice a day and commute for 22 workdays in a month. If we count this way, commuters can enjoy discounts from about 2 yuan to 3.4 yuan for a single trip originally costing 7 to 10 yuan. Under the discount system, the price for a single trip can be kept within 5.1 yuan for most commuters."

Despite fare hikes, the Beijing municipal government will still finance 50 percent of subway operation costs and 62 percent of bus operation costs.

It is predicted that by 2020, the subway lines in Beijing will reach 1-thousand kilometers.

Zhou Zhengyu is director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

"The 1000-kilometer-long rail lines will contribute a lot to our public transportation. Subways will take up more than 50 percent of our public transportation"

Currently, the city has a flat-rate subway fare with unlimited transfers.

A single-ride ticket costs two yuan.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.