Short video clips and information are often shown on surprising news that the national bus is about to be completely eliminated, that fare prices are generally rising and that free travel benefits for older persons are directly eliminated. Many people who read the news, especially older persons who often turn themselves over at the office, get nervous. A number of people will share their concerns that the cost of travelling to and from the country will become higher and that daily travel will be greatly affected。
To begin with, it is clear that the “total elimination of subsidies, uniform increases, and the total elimination of old-age tickets” that is being circulated online is part of a general misrepresentation rather than a uniform national policy. The reality is that public transport operations, fare policies and the treatment of older persons in the various cities of the country are developed by local governments in accordance with their own financial situation, and there is no one-size-fits-all circular。
To make this matter clear, we can open it up, first say what public transport subsidies are, why online news of the abolition of subsidies, then talk about the real situation with respect to price adjustments and old-age waivers, and finally tell you how ordinary people can distinguish between these web-based rumors。
Many may not know much about urban public transport itself, which is mostly not profitable. The bus is part of the human security project, whose primary objective is not to make a profit, but to facilitate the movement of citizens, giving priority to residential areas and old urban areas, even if there are few people on a certain route. The purchase of vehicles, maintenance, driver's salaries, fuel or electricity costs, each of which is continuously spent. Since it is difficult for the vast majority of urban public transport companies to maintain their normal functioning, relying solely on the income of passengers to buy tickets, local finance has been providing subsidies to public transport enterprises to fill operational gaps and ensure the proper functioning of public transport lines。
In recent years, there has been an increase in local financial pressures, along with an increase in private cars, the spread of internet traffic, and the fact that many young people have chosen to ride electric cars and that public transport traffic continues to decline. Under double pressure, public transport subsidies have begun to be reassessed in parts of the country, with lower incomes and rising operating costs. Attention is drawn to the fact that this is an optimised subsidy programme in some areas, and it is not a nationwide direct and complete elimination of subsidies。
Adjustments do not amount to a direct suspension of subsidies. Some cities will optimize the calculation of subsidies, no longer by simple fixed allocations, but by linking them to actual passenger traffic and the effectiveness of line operations, encouraging public transport companies to optimize lines, reducing long-run, low-utilization cold-door lines, and using funds more rationally on hf lines. Other municipalities may reduce some of their subsidies, but the basic livelihood guarantee subsidy remains。
It was important to distinguish between two concepts: optimization, adjustment of subsidies and their total elimination. Many of the short videos on the internet directly refer to “part of the adjustment subsidy” as “the total elimination of the national bus subsidy” in order to capture the flow, exaggerating the facts and creating anxiety, which is the main reason why the rumour is most widespread。
And for the second, most of all, is whether public transport prices will increase
Currently, in the vast majority of cities in the country, bus fares are subject to upward adjustment, with a strict process, and it is not for public transport companies themselves to increase prices. Cost accounting, public hearings and extensive public consultation are generally required before land can be landed after approval by the relevant department。
Indeed, there are a few municipalities that have applied in recent years to adjust their bus fares, but the price increases are limited and are only individual acts of individual cities, and there are no national arrangements for collective increases. In more cities, the original fare remains unchanged, and in some cities the discounts on monthly tickets, brush cards, etc. Are maintained。
At the same time, there are isolated routes that are extremely low in traffic and have long-term losses, which may be consolidated or discontinued in some cities, and many people who have mistakenly streamlined the lines as a source of increased ticket prices. The purpose of the optimized line is to pool resources into the more common backbone, not simply to increase prices。
The third hotspot, which is also the greatest concern of older persons, is the abolition of the old-age ticket-free policy
The free travel of older persons is a policy of preference in many cities, which was originally designed to facilitate access to health care, food and services for older persons. The powers to formulate this policy are also those of local governments, and there is no uniform national document requiring the direct abolition of the old-age exemption。
The dereliction of tickets on the internet, the real prototype of which is that individual cities have discussed the optimization of old-age motor vehicle benefits rather than cutting them all off. Some of the options explored were not to deny free travel to older persons, but to replace the form of benefits. For example, some programmes have proposed that no more direct tickets be exempt and that transport subsidies be granted to eligible seniors, which are applied to old people's cards, and that the cost be directly withheld by car. This is envisaged to alleviate the overload and stress of older passengers on bus during peak hours, while benefits remain available to older persons without direct elimination of preferential treatment。
The programme is only partial in its direction and has not been replicated throughout the country. In the vast majority of cities, the old-age free-carriage policy is still in place. Don't look at the discussion in one place as a new rule to be put into effect in the country。
Objectively, the old-age vote-free policy has been operating for so many years, and there are real challenges. At early peaks, many older people go out to buy food, play, and spend time on commuting with employees and students, with crowded cars and prone to contradictions. This, together with the pressure on public transport operations, has given rise to local thinking on optimisation programmes. Optimization, however, does not amount to a one-size-fits-all elimination, and local adaptations give priority to the actual needs of older persons to travel。
Speaking of which, a lot of people would ask, "why is this information spreading so fast?"
First, public transport is closely linked to the lives of everyone, almost everyone has been in public transport, and older people are hf users, who are naturally interested in travel-related policies and are easy to relay。
Second, many of the key premises of the “part of the” programme discussion, which were deliberately intercepted from the media for the purpose of broadcasting, were replaced by immediate nationwide implementation and increased tension。
Thirdly, many people do not have the habit of verifying the source of information, believing in the title and forwarding it, and the more rumours spread。
Here, we also teach you a simple way to tell the truth and the truth when we see news of similar human policies。
