Free rides foster free-for-all
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Day 8: Monday, November 8
The number of passengers drops 3 million to about 4.3 million.
According to an online survey conducted by Peopedaily.com, about 50 percent of 1,909 respondents express concern about the free public transport promotion as "unscientific."
Another 26 percent say cancellation of free rides will help ease congestion. Twenty-one percent say they think the subsidy is a good solution.
What experts say
Free public transport is theoretically a smart move, says Hu Xingdou, an economist with the Beijing Institute of Technology.
"The original purpose of the promotion is to serve people and that's a good idea," Hu says. "But the local government underestimated the response."
He suggests Guangzhou could learn from Beijing by reducing the ticket price and developing additional transit systems.
Free public transport goes against common sense, another expert argues.
"Bike, bus, subway, taxi and car: How to properly integrate these five modes of transport is very important," says Yang Xinmiao, a professor at the Institute of Transportation Engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
"If people all take the free bus and free subway, that will be a disaster.
"For example, a government launches a free meat promotion because some experts say eating meats is good for your health: Should everyone give up vegetables?"
