Source: CCTV.com

10-08-2007 10:12

Hundreds of thousands of Beijing commuters use the subway everyday. And soon there may be more. That's because Beijing subway commuters are now enjoying the lowest subway fare, in China.

Effective Sunday, Beijing's subway and metro system has reduced its ticket price by around 30%. A one-way ticket now costs only two yuan, versus the previous three yuan. The two yuan is a flat rate for an entire journey, no matter how long the journey is or how many transfers a passenger makes.

Officials say the new pricing system is also the cheapest among all the Chinese subway systems. Passengers are giving the price cut, a thumbs up.

One passenger said " We love the new price. It only costs 2 yuan for the entire journey."

Everybody is happy with the new ticketing system. But some are worried that the new fare system will put additional pressure on passenger volume, which is already quite high.

Another passenger said "It was kind of crowded at the beginning of the day. But after switching at the inter-exchange, the crowds eased off a bit."

Another passenger said "The new price has really reduced our transportation costs. But we believe there could be more pressure for the city's transportation authority, since more and more people are expected to travel by subways."

The Beijing subway department is assuring the public that the city will soon be adding more trains to handle the likely surge in subway commuters. That's because it says the department's main objective is to encourage more people to use the subway. And thereby help ease road congestion and improve air quality, ahead of the Olympics.

Editor:Xiong Qu