Beijing, September 9 (Shao Meng) Recently, the controversy over "whether a ticket without a seat should be the same price as a second-class seat" has rushed to the hot search, and netizens have different views on this.
Chinanews.com found that the dispute over "whether the price of station tickets is reasonable" has a long history, and long before the advent of high-speed rail, there was a debate about whether the hard seat of the train and the station ticket should be the same price, and the relevant litigation dates back to at least 20 years ago.
1st class fares are different from 2nd class fares, why is no seat ticket the same price as 2nd class tickets? Who sets the price? Why has this topic been controversial so many times?
Photo by China News Agency reporter Qi Zengbei
High-speed rail without seats and second-class seats at the same price caused controversy
12306 customer service said that it will feedback suggestions
In response to the dispute between the same price between high-speed rail seats and second-class seats, some netizens believe that "it is not reasonable to spend the same money, but the service experience is different." Some netizens also believed, "The bus does not have a stop ticket or a sitting ticket, and if there is no seat ticket, you can also sit if there is a vacant seat, there is no need to complain." Some netizens are worried, "What if the price of no seat ticket is reduced, everyone goes to buy no seat ticket, and then they all go to sit in the second class?" ”
Why is the price of unseated and second-class seats the same? Who sets the price? According to media reports, 12306 customer service said that the current pricing is based on the spirit of the National Development and Reform Commission document, and the railway transport enterprises set their own prices. In accordance with the price law, railway law and other laws and regulations, and at the same time, according to market conditions, a multi-grade floating fare system will be implemented.
On September 9, 5 customer service responded to Chinanews.com that there were also relevant inquiries recently, and suggestions would be recorded and feedback to relevant departments for this problem. The customer service said that the no-seat ticket and the second-class seat are the same level, and the no-seat ticket is not equivalent to standing only, and passengers can go and sit if there is a vacant seat.
"If this (no seat ticket price reduction), it will be similar to the subway and bus, everyone buys station tickets, and everyone grabs seats after coming up, then no one will want to buy second-class seats." The customer service said.
Infographic. Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong
Several people sued the railway department as a result
Some deputies have proposed improvements
Chinanews.com found that the dispute over "whether the price of station tickets is reasonable" has a long history, and similar disputes have put the railway department in the dock, and the relevant litigation alone can be traced back more than 20 years. There have also been university professors and public welfare figures who have submitted open government information applications to the Ministry of Railways, requesting that the legal basis for the pricing of tickets without seats in trains be disclosed.
In 2001, Zhou Huan, a lawyer at Jiangxi Guofeng Law Firm, filed a lawsuit against the Nanchang Railway Bureau for selling seatless tickets to passengers at the price of seated tickets.
The Nanchang Railway Transportation Court held in the first instance that the railway passenger transportation contract concluded by the two parties was a standard contract, and the contract was established and performed according to law; The fare of the railway passenger transportation contract was set by the government, and it was not improper for the Nanchang Railway Bureau to verify the fare according to the government pricing in the contract, and the plaintiff's claim was dismissed. After Zhou Huan appealed, the second instance upheld the original judgment. This is the first civil dispute in China arising from the same price as the passenger train without seat tickets and seat tickets.
Since then, lawyers have filed similar lawsuits with other consumers in 2006, 2014 and 2016.
Some deputies also discussed the topic. According to media reports, during the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress in 2019, Guo Naishuo, a deputy to the National People's Congress, submitted "suggestions on effectively improving the quality of high-speed rail supporting services" to the conference. It mentioned that considering the problem of too many high-speed rail passengers, it is understandable to issue a certain proportion of station tickets, but the price of station tickets and sitting tickets is still the same, which is not very reasonable, and it is recommended to improve.
Relevant departments have also responded. At a press conference held by the State Council's new office on the situation and work arrangements of the 2014 Spring Festival, Hu Yadong, then deputy general manager of China Railway Corporation, responded that the railway department had not yet considered changing the fare for unseated tickets. Whether it is seated or not, the railway sector pays the same cost of capacity. At present, the basic transportation facilities of many cities do not have a system of standing tickets, and the technical operation problems are also greater.
Data map: Passengers wait for ticket verification in the waiting hall of Shanghai Hongqiao Station of the railway. Photo by Yin Liqin
The "standing ticket price" has repeatedly caused controversy
Should practices be "up to date"?
Is it reasonable for a non-seat ticket to be the same as a second-class ticket? Why has this topic been controversial so many times?
Meng Bo, a lawyer at Beijing Jingshi Law Firm, said in an interview with Chinanews.com that "whether train station tickets should be of the same price" and "whether high-speed rail tickets without seats and second-class tickets should be the same price" have repeatedly triggered discussions, reflecting the concerns of the masses and reflecting the public's awareness of the rule of law.
Meng Bo said that according to the provisions of the "Railway Law", the charging items and charging standards of railway passengers, as well as the railway parcel freight rate, are independently formulated by railway transport enterprises. According to the provisions of the Price Law, the basic basis for business operators to set prices is production and operation costs and market supply and demand, and they shall follow the principles of fairness, legality and good faith when setting prices.
He also pointed out that according to the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Consumers, consumers enjoy the right to fair trade, and consumers have the right to fair trading conditions such as quality assurance, reasonable prices, and correct measurement when purchasing goods or receiving services.
According to previous media reports, Feng Zixuan, a professor at the Artificial Intelligence Law School of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said in an interview in 2016 on the question of "whether train station tickets and sitting tickets should be the same price" that flaws in administrative procedures were exposed in the fare pricing process. "Although the railway sector is undergoing market-oriented reforms, China's railway transportation industry is essentially an important public good, and regulators and operators need to balance the relationship between efficiency and fairness to solve this problem." (End)