Chinese authorities plan to end the fare system of Beijing subways and opt to pursue metered option.

A basic outline for the public transportation proposed metered option has been released by the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission. The commission said it plans to base subway fares on the number of stops or distance of a commuter’s destination.

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Subways in Beijing still follow a flat rate with unlimited number of transfers. The cost of a single trip ticket would cost a passenger 2 yuan. This is seen to be very low compared to the costs of operation, said a report from Xinhua.

In July, the government conducted a survey to get the opinion of the public about the government’s move to raise subway fares. The public transport system has been incurring big losses as China’s population continues to swell.

The commission said the new fare price would not exceed the costs of tickets in other first-tier locations in China. It also added that daily commuters would be given discounts and other benefits would also be given to elder passengers. 

Last year, the number of Beijing's subway passengers reached 3.2 billion. The records show an increase of commuters by 350% compared to the number listed in 2007. Subsidies also increased to 20 billion yuan in 2013 from 13.5 billion yuan in 2010.

The ticket prices for subways have been changed four times since the system opened in 1978. The latest change in subway fares occurred seven years ago when Beijing cut ticket prices to 2 yuan for the subway and as low as 4 jiao for bus rides.

The commission added a public hearing would commence later for the proposed new subway metered option.

TagsBeijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Xinhua