Beijingers' lives changed by new subway lines, higher transportation cost

Passengers wait to board a train of subway Line One at a station in Beijing, Dec 29, 2014. Beijing has raised subway fares from Dec 28, but it seems to make little difference to the congestion on the public transport system. The city's subway system carries approximately 10 million passengers daily on workdays. [Photo/CFP]

Monday morning commuters on Beijing's public transport began the day with mixed feelings following a raise in subway and bus fares and the unveiling of four new subway lines.

Liu Xiaogang, whose home and company are located on the recently opened Line 7 in south Beijing, took his first journey to work on the new subway line Monday morning.

"The entire journey only took me 27 minutes," he said. "The train was very empty and I even had the luxury of a seat."

In the past, the 8.5-kilometer journey required he take buses, which were so crowded that he could barely find space to stand. "In case of traffic jams, I had to spend an hour on the bus," Liu said.

Despite the convenience of the subway, the price hike is likely to change the habit of some commuters.

To save the four yuan (about 0.6 US dollars) subway fare, Li Man waited an extra 20 minutes to take the bus, which only cost one yuan.

Another white-collar worker surnamed Mo abandoned buses and the subway altogether, resorting to his electric bicycle instead. The distance between her home and company is about six kilometers.

"For a single day's journey, the rise of the transportation cost does not seem very much," she said. "But if you calculate it for a year, you will be stunned by the rise. More than 3,000 yuan!" Her monthly salary is a little more than 6,000 yuan.

More than 20 bicycles at a rental point near the headquarters of Xinhua News Agency had all been taken away.

On China's twitter-like Sina Weibo, people posted photos to show the changes of their lives with higher transportation cost.

A young mother said the rise of her annual transportation cost would be 2,112 yuan. "Three cans of imported milk powder are gone," she said.

In another picture, a cleaner said the rise of her annual transportation cost, 2,640 yuan, almost equaled the tuition of her daughter for a year.

The number of elderly people taking subway or buses seemed lower on Monday.

Ms. Zhao, a Beijing resident in her 50s, told Xinhua she used to take buses to a nearby market. "It is not far, just about one kilometer," she said. "I will walk there in the future. It is good physical exercise as well."

Previously, there was a flat two yuan rate for single tickets and unlimited transfers. Under the new fare prices, the minimum price for a subway ride will be three yuan, which covers six kilometers. The longer distance, the higher price.

For bus passengers, a ride of ten km will be two yuan and one yuan for every five kilometers after. Smart card users will enjoy a 50 percent discount and student card users receive a 75 percent discount.

By 9 a.m. Monday, the underground trains of Beijing recorded 1.57 million passengers, 5.23 percent down from last week.

On Sunday morning, the first day of the change, 399,606 passengers took the underground, about 10 percent lower than the previous Sunday.

Wang Limei, secretary general of the China Road Transport Association, noted the expansion of Beijing's underground network could be a cure for the city where urban planning has always been blamed for poor traffic conditions.

"Now many of the city's population live outside the Second Ring Road, while working in the downtown area. This resulted in enormous pressure on Beijing's traffic system," she said.

She noted that the rise of public transportation cost is a natural tendency in developing the city.

The fares of buses and subway rise almost every year in London, where the world's first underground line opened 151 years ago. But Beijing has enjoyed a flat two yuan rate since 2007, when the fare was reduced ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"Compared with many foreign countries, our public transportation costs are still low and we need government funding," she said.

Talking about the change of people's travelling habits, Wang said she was happy to see more and more people choose "a greener way of travelling". "I saw lots of commuters borrowing bicycles from the public rental points," she said. "It is not only environmentally friendly, but also good exercise for those with desk jobs."