The Nanjing Municipal Price Bureau organized a hearing Thursday on the rise of subway and bus fares. Two subway fare adjustment plans were tabled for consideration before the final decision is made.
Officials with the Municipal Price Bureau said the subway fare has remained unchanged for 13 years since the city’s first subway line went into operation in 2005.
The operating costs, however, are rising from the line and equipment maintenance, the increasing mileages year by year and the slower growth of passenger traffic volume.
Two fare hike plans were offered at the hearing. The starting price of the first scheme is 2 yuan for a ride of 4 kilometers, and the second scheme is 2 yuan for a 6-kilometer ride. For scheme 1, passengers will have a cheap ride if their commute is less than ten kilometers. In the case of scheme 2, a 20-km ride will be cost-effective. For a ride between 10 and 20 kilometers, there will be no difference with the cost of riding.
20 persons were invited to sit for the hearing. 7 are for scheme 1, 8 for scheme 2, 4 raised new plans and one proposed to keep the original fare scheme unchanged. The authorities will unveil the final plan in the days to come.
(Source: ourjiangsu.com)
