China Economic Roundtable – Upgraded services improve passenger experience during Spring Festival travel
►► China’s transport sector has enhanced services to ensure satisfying travel experiences for passengers and address the challenges posed by the large-scale movement of people, said the country’s transport authorities.
BEIJING – Students and migrant workers are key groups during the Spring Festival travel rush, which kicked off on Jan. 14. This year, for the first time, certain ticket purchasing requirements for students have been relaxed, and a pre-booked system has been launched for them, said Zhu Wenzhong with the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., who joined the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
Also for the first time, the 12306 mobile ticket platform offered a pre-booked service for migrant workers, similar to that of students. The significance of this approach is that travelers no longer have to wait in time to buy railway tickets. Instead, the system will automatically allocate tickets per booking.
To accurately meet passengers’ travel needs, the aviation sector has optimized air transport capacity since the fourth quarter last year, deploying larger aircraft on popular routes to such destinations as Sanya, Haikou, Harbin and Urumqi. Meanwhile, customized charter services are arranged for groups like students and migrant workers, according to Shang Kejia, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
With the growing popularity of new energy vehicles (NEVs), car trips during travel periods have increased significantly. Hua Lei, an official with the Ministry of Transport, said that the highway traffic authority had implemented several measures to better meet the surging demands for vehicle charging during the travel season.
By the end of 2024, a total of 35,000 charging piles had been set up at expressway service areas nationwide, achieving a coverage rate of 98 percent. During the travel rush, plans to further increase charging facilities are set to take place, Hua said.
Moreover, the authority would optimize charging services by adding mobile charging facilities to ease pressure on service area charging stations. Better information services available through online apps that provide real-time updates on charging facility availability will be introduced as well during the travel rush, assisting drivers in planning their charging routes effectively, according to Hua.
China is anticipating a record-breaking 9 billion inter-regional trips during this year’s Spring Festival travel rush of 40 days. Rail and air passenger trips are set to hit record highs, while car trips are expected to account for about 80 percent of all inter-regional trips. ■
By Xinhua
