Political advisers in Beijing are calling on decision-makers to take into account the needs of commuters and students when revising the flat-rate fare for subway journeys in the capital.

They say any increase in the flat-rate fare, while potentially easing heavy passenger flows during peak hours, should not harm subway users who have no other travel options for their daily journeys - particularly those on low incomes.

The issue of fare revision has been a key topic for debate at the Plenary Session of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which wrapped up on Sunday.

During the session, Zhu Liang, a member of the committee, said "the subway fare should not increase beyond what people can afford."

The adjustment of metro fares should be studied further and be based mainly on the mileage one travels, while the ceiling should be no higher than 9 yuan ($1.5), he said.

Beijing's current flat-rate subway fare of 2 yuan, which allows passengers to ride on any line and make transfers, is even cheaper than 15 years ago, when it was first increased to 3 yuan in 1999.

The fare was reduced to 2 yuan in 2007 to encourage public transportation and ease road congestion.

The capital currently has 456 kilometers of subway lines in operation, carrying 10 million passengers daily.

Zhu said an increase in subway fares would encourage the public to resort to the subway only for longer journeys, using buses instead for short journeys, thus easing peak-hour flows on the subway.

The Beijing Commission of Transport said much of the aboveground transportation resources are left unused, while the subway has long been overburdened.

Cheng Liuen, another CPPCC member, agreed.

"Office workers and the students - the majority of passengers during the morning and evening rush hours - are left with no choice for commutes but the subway," he said. "Whether the fare rises or not, they have to take it anyway."

Li Congyi, a 27-year-old accountant in Beijing, said he has to take the subway from home to the office every day.

"It leaves me with no choice, because it takes forever to take a bus, and riding a taxi is too expensive for daily commuting," he said.

"If the rise in ticket price makes more room in the subway carriages, I'm willing to pay more for a more enjoyable ride."

Cheng suggests the government should come up with differentiated subway fares or preferential ticket prices for some targeted groups of people, including students and office workers.

"The fare rise might also attract more private car owners, because the carriages will be less crowded," he said.

Wang Huamin, another political adviser in Beijing, suggests the government introduce monthly or annual travel cards targeting regular subway riders, incorporating subsidies for those on low incomes.

"It's rare for a government to provide such huge subsidies for subways for so long - anywhere in the world," he said.

Liu Xiaoming, head of the Beijing Commission of Transport, said, "The pricing of subway fares will draw on international experiences and domestic experiences from Shanghai and Guangzhou, and will come to a conclusion before public hearings," he said.

Zhang Jiandong, head of the Beijing Commission of Development and Reform, said the government would balance the city's financial burden with issues of public capacity.

"It's not all about a rise in price, but also the scientific allocation of the city's public transportation network, the security and comfort of the metro," he said.

According to the commission, the rise in fare price will also help address potential safety loopholes and reduce the chances of malfunction and breakdown.

It said much of the city's aboveground transportation, including more than 800 routes covering a total of 18,000 km, are left unused, either because of slow speeds or poor punctuality.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn