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Name-listed ticket system remains to be tested

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After a trial period, a majority of passengers leaving Guangdong province in the peak traffic season of the Spring Festival praised the name-based train ticket system for its fairness and called for it to continue in the future.

The passenger bought ticket using his ID card.[File photo]

However, a spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said it remains to be seen whether the pilot project will continue next year and whether it will go nationwide.

Trains departing from major railway stations in Guangdong between Jan 30 and Feb 13 required travelers to provide ID certificates when purchasing tickets and boarding the trains.

By Sunday, 4.11 million train tickets with ID information had been sold, Guangzhou's traffic authority said yesterday.

Local surveys found a majority of passengers supported the name-based ticketing system, whether or not they were successful in purchasing a ticket.

An ongoing survey by Sina.com.cn, a major Web portal targeting those who tried to buy tickets under the new system, found that 60 percent of those surveyed believed the pilot system is more convenient.

Only 21 percent said it is not convenient at all and another 19 percent said there is not much difference than before. The survey has attracted at least 1,000 respondents.

Even those who failed to get tickets under the pilot project supported the name-based system.

Zhou Weiying, of Dazhou, Sichuan province, who works in Guangzhou, said: "We cannot get the tickets. Neither can the scalpers. As long as this system made it difficult for the scalpers, it is a success."

Hao Jingsong, a Beijing-based lawyer known for challenging the Ministry of Railways, said the name-based ticketing system helped many workers to achieve equality.

But the name-based ticketing system cannot root out all scalpers, nor can it solve the shortage of train tickets, he added.

Media reports said scalpers "with inside connections" could still provide tickets that are unavailable at the railway station's ticket windows.

Moreover, many scalpers now go online in a bid to avoid the risk of being caught by the police.

An anonymous scalper, who solicits customers online, said it is no longer necessary to meet ticket buyers.

"It is all digital now. You and I do not need to meet. Just text me your ID number, name, ticket requirement and phone number. After I get the ticket, you pay me through an online bank. Then I will give you the order number and you can get the ticket at the railway station's ticket window," the scalper told People's Daily.

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