Society

Fake buses gouge passengers in S. China

By Liu Shanshan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-25 19:32

Illegal buses block a genuine bus from pulling in at a bus station in downtown Shenzhen, June 25, 2010. [sina.com.cn]

 

A ticket seller on an illegal bus on June 25, 2010 in Shenzhen. [sina.com.cn]

Illegally-run buses disguised as genuine ones charge high fares in downtown Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, reported the Yangcheng Evening News on Friday.

In one bus route, an ordinary ticket costs 10 yuan (US$1.47) while some fake buses charge more than 40 yuan (US$5.89), according to a reporter disguised as a passenger.

Buses, pushed aside by fake vehicles, are often unable to draw up at the station, said the reporter.

Some illegally-run buses pasted instructions at every stop in large characters, and some even hung up forged boards of the No.868 bus, attracting commuters.

The fake buses took advantage of time-sensitive passengers when local government discarded old buses running this line.