Mileage plan for train riders is in the works

Being able to exchange miles logged traveling for free tickets is a perk that frequent airline travelers have long enjoyed. Now those who travel by trains in China may be able to do the same in the near future.

The Ministry of Railways has recently started a trial membership program on 12306.cn, the ministry's official ticketing and customer-service website, that allows certain passengers to use credits to redeem tickets. This has sparked speculation that frequent train passengers will soon be able to use their mileage for similar ticket redemption.

On Friday, the website said in a statement that a total of 2,110 passengers have become new members. They were randomly selected from passengers who participated in an online customer-satisfaction survey in May.

Members can win credits varying from 10,000 to 100,000 points, while 100 points equal 1 yuan ($0.16) when members use their credits for free tickets.

The incentive program is in line with the ministry's long-term plan to strengthen its customer service.

Hu Yadong, vice-minister of railways, said in February that the ministry will explore its own frequent passenger-service plan to meet the needs of individual passengers, which aims to cultivate customer loyalty to Chinese railways.

"The plan will provide free train tickets to passengers on a trial basis as well as other value-added services, including the VIP train station lounge, luggage porter, hotels and accommodation," Hu said on the annual national railway-transportation work conference.

So far, the ministry has launched three customer-satisfaction survey campaigns, which granted membership to 4,220 passengers who were awarded credits, the Beijing News reported on Friday.

"Program membership is not open to the public yet, and the passengers may get the credits only by taking the questionnaire," a customer service representative of the website told China Daily on Friday.

According to a membership guide that is not yet public, members are divided into four tiers based on the mileage they travel by trains, which provide them with benefits at different levels, the Beijing News reported.

The guide says 100 yuan of the ticket price could be converted to 300, 500, 600 or 800 points, depending on the membership tier. The credit will be prorated if passengers buy train tickets with discounts, the report said.

For a normal member, one would have to take the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train 34 times to get a free ride, which charges 555 yuan for a second-class seat.

Although the ministry hasn't given details of the plan yet, the membership program has triggered heated debate on the Internet.

In a survey conducted on Sina Weibo, a popular Twitter-like service in China, nearly 300 polled netizens supported the move because they believe it will benefit customers.

"Finally, train passengers can earn miles too," said a Sina Weibo user with the name SHMILY1314."Each year I spend 5,000 to 6,000 yuan on train tickets, and it would help frequent passengers like me to save money."

However, more than 3,000 people voted that they don't care about the membership program as it cannot ensure customers get train tickets at all times, even if one is a program member.

"The ministry should first concentrate on solving the problem of making ticket purchases more easy, as it is almost a struggle to get tickets sometimes," said another user with the name ST-saltwater.

The Beijing News reported that members are not able to redeem train tickets on international train routes or certain popular routes. Meanwhile, students, soldiers and other kind of customers who buy tickets with discounts cannot earn credits.

Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, said that the new move will benefit frequent train travelers, and also help China's high-speed railways compete for customers.

"It will help increase the number of passengers on high-speed railways, as it could earn more credits than taking normal trains which are low in price."

tanzongyang@chinadaily.com.cn