Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    MOST of the 17 people who attended Friday’s hearing on the city’s draft laws on Metro operation management agreed on a fine for passengers who use the Metro system without buying a ticket.

    Among the hearing participants were a lawmaker, political advisers, volunteers, ordinary residents and merchants.

    Passengers who use the Metro without buying a ticket could be subject to a fine of between five and 10 times the ticket price, according to the draft.

    Chen Guancai, who often does volunteer work at Metro stations, said the penalty is “very necessary.”

    “I’ve seen ticket evaders several times. To my knowledge, Metro operators caught more than 3,000 people who didn’t buy a ticket or illegally used a student ID just in the first half of this year. In addition, over 200 passengers were found to have not purchased a ticket during rush hour on the evening of July 21,” said Chen.

    A lawmaker, Yang Qin, suggested a harsher penalty on ticket evaders.

    “A fine between five and 10 times the ticket price won’t be able to deter ticket evaders. The penalty in Hong Kong is HK$5,000 (US$649) or six months in prison,” said Yang.

    The hearing participants also shared opinions on the use of the fines.

    “Most of the fines should be used to create a special fund to improve public transportation facilities. Some could be used for charity,” said Yang Qin.

    The draft also proposed a ban on eating and drinking in the Metro.

    A resident representative, Jin Haiyan, suggested that a special area should be set aside at stations for people who need to drink or eat.

    The draft asked Metro operators to provide passengers with notifications for a delay of more than five minutes or schedule changes to the first and last train of each day.