Long way going smart
Beijing has been considering the launch of the IC scheme since 1998
when the municipal government drew up a plan to popularize the IC transportation
card before 2000, but the plan was put off until September 2003 when the test
system was put into use on subway Line 13.
However, due to the relatively high deposit (30 yuan/US$3.60) and limited
availability (even with more and more outlets opening up), few Beijingers use
the card. A recent newspaper report said that over the past two years only
210,000 IC cards have been sold and on average, only 1 yuan (US$1.20) of fares
per bus per day, were paid by means of the swipe card.
In comparison, over the past decade, the AFC system has become so successful
and popular in cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong that the public transportation
card has become one of the must-haves among citizens in those cities.
Why has Beijing had to wait so long for this system: one IC card for use on
buses, the metro and taxis?
It turns out that the spread of IC cards, which allow all public transport
providers to join, has been hampered in part by Beijing's decades-old system of
monthly bus passes.
If Beijing wants to follow Shanghai in adopting the unified AFC system, it
apparently means the demise of the popular monthly pass system, which is enjoyed
by many and therefore hard for them to give up.
Supporters of the monthly passes have said on various occasions that
the abolition of the pass would be a sign of the government's neglect of the
less privileged.
However, the bus companies had hoped to abolish monthly passes saying that
"the cheap prices put a heavy burden on the municipal government and weaken the
competitive edge of the bus companies which rely heavily on government support."
At the same time, Beijing, the 2008 Olympics host city, is accused by many of
lagging behind in providing an efficient public transportation ticketing system.
Thus after years of debate and several compromises made, the municipal
government has started to run this smart IC scheme that many believe has become
too "thoughtful" to be really smart.
Zhang Jun was glad when she heard that Beijing is adopting the IC
transportation cards. Moving from Shanghai two months ago, the 27-year-old news
editor has found it rather inconvenient and even "out-of-fashion" to use the
disposable paper tickets in Beijing, especially when she has to wait in a long
queue to purchase one during rush hours.
However when she came to buy the IC card, she said she was confused to find
that there are five types of cards, four of which require a photo.
It took Zhang around 15 minutes to go through the five-page user's guidelines
and it took her another five minutes to fully understand exactly how the system
is going to work with all its complications and which one was most suitable for
her. She chose the regular card, similar to that used in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
"I didn't expect it too be so complex - in Shanghai, there is only one card
for all public transportation and related uses, which is what I expected a
yikatong to be," confessed Zhang.