A NORMAL one-way ticket for the intercity bus between Shenzhen and Guangzhou is about 50 yuan (US$7.2), but some app-based bus companies are offering promotions with prices as low as 19.9 yuan or even 9.9 yuan, according to previous media reports.

    However, a report by the Shenzhen Economic Daily found that the businesses could be shady, with many operating without proper licenses and defrauding passengers at will.

    Following tip-offs provided by some Shenzhen residents, the Daily reserved a seat on a bus bound for Guangzhou via a promotion QR code posted on many streets. Most of the advertisements are seen in Longgang, Longhua and Bao’an.

    The reporter contacted a driver through the flyer posted in front of a restaurant in Longhua New Area. The driver told the reporter to wait for the bus near the entrance of the Jihe (Airport-He’ao) Expressway in Qinghu.

    The bus fare was between 20 to 30 yuan and could be paid in cash or by online payment, but the driver would not offer a proper receipt.

    The reporter noted the bus’ plate number and asked the transportation departments in both Guangzhou and Shenzhen to look into the business. The departments in both cities showed no record of the car plate being connected to a business operation license.

    The driver defended his business as being justified for the convenience it offers to both passengers and the bus company.

    “We are using idle buses to meet the demands of intercity transportation and our passengers don’t need to pay a management fee to a third-party company, but only the petrol and the toll, which is for their own benefit,” said the driver.

    However, according to some residents who had taken the buses before, some bus drivers would detour for a long time to solicit enough passengers and some even asked passengers to get off the buses because the buses were not fully loaded.

    An overhaul carried out by Guangzhou’s transportation commission busted 263 cases of illegal chartered buses and 20 cases of illegal bus operation this summer.

    In Shenzhen, there was also an array of transportation companies that would illegally solicit passengers at temporary stations following temporary timetables.

    In response to the chaotic market of intercity buses, the Guangdong Provincial Transport Department, the authority that is in charge of intercity transportation, pledged to carry out a thorough inspection.

    (Zhang Qian)