Editor's Note

Web browser providers have denied earlier reports that they had been ordered to stop providing plug-ins for buying train tickets, which the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said had caused a huge amount of traffic to flood its online ticketing system ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush.

China Central Television also reported that other browser providers including Maxthon and Qihoo 360 all denied receiving orders from MIIT, while the ministry has not yet responded.

The MOR last week complained that the services would add extra pressure to its online ticketing system, and warned that buyers' personal information could be leaked.

Latest News

Global Times, Jan. 21, 2013: Online system ‘makes it harder’ for migrant workers
The online ticketing system is also blamed for making it harder to buy tickets for migrant workers, who normally don't have access to the Internet but make up a large proportion of the annual migration.

Global Times, Jan. 19, 2013: Plug-in ban for ticket bookings
Web browser providers were ordered by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to stop providing train ticket-buying assistance plug-ins on Friday, China National Radio reported.

Global Times, Jan. 17, 2013: Couple arrested for helping migrants buy online tickets
A young husband and wife, who claim they only charged 10 yuan ($1.6) to help migrant workers buy train tickets home for Spring Festival, face up to three years in prison after being busted with 212 tickets worth 35,402 yuan.

Plug-in Chaos

Illustration: cnr.cn-Globaltimes.cn

Popularity of ticket plug-ins

1. Railways still unable to meet demand

Statistics from the MOR showed that over 5.6 million people are expected to travel by train each day during the 40-day travel rush, which begins on January 19 this year.

But the scheduled daily rail transport capacity is around 4.8 million, which means that about 800,000 passengers will not be able to get a ticket home each day during the busiest travel period.

2. Ticketing system relic of "planned economy”

Wu Bihu, a professor at Peking University, commented on his Sina Weibo account that the selling of train tickets still remains under the "planned economy system," while flight ticket sales have already gone onto the market.

Mao Lixin, a Beijing-based lawyer, commented on Weibo that the selling of train tickets has been monopolized by railway authorities to maintain their interests, noting that such a monopoly should be broken up soon.

3. Online ticketing crashed repeatedly during 2012 peak season

MOR’s online ticketing system went into operation at the end of 2011, and 330 million yuan ($53 million) was reportedly spent on upgrades in September 2012. Despite the huge investment, the site went down many times during the Spring Festival travel rush and National Day holiday of 2012 due to excessive numbers of visitors.

  Responses:

Web browser providers	An engineer surnamed Sun from Kingsoft's browser department said "We designed this plug-in to help ticket buyers and shutting the website down would bring us no good. The code of our plug-in is open to the public.  Anyone who thinks it's unsafe is welcome to submit it to security experts." China Central Television also reported that other browser providers including Maxthon and Qihoo 360 all denied receiving orders from MIIT.
MOR	The MOR last week complained that the services would add extra pressure to its online ticketing system, and warned that buyers' personal information could be leaked.
MIIT	MIIT has not yet responded.
Experts	Li Weimin, secretary-general of the Consumer Protection Committee of the Beijing Lawyers Association, said that he sees no reason to stop the practice if the browser providers are only using available resources within legal frameworks to provide convenience to consumers. Xiao Wenbin, a Beijing-based lawyer, said that "We hope to acquire the total ticket numbers, the reserved ticket numbers and other statistics. By doing this, we hope to figure out whether the MOR has kept tickets for its own people."
Ticket buyer	A migrant worker surnamed Lü in Beijing, told the Global Times that "I don't have a computer and I don't know how to use one either. And the phone service is hardly any use."  He added that last year he queued for four hours to buy a standing ticket.

Source: Global Times

Media Comments

GT Comment: The online ticket booking system should be improved as soon as possible. The Ministry of Railways should upgrade its ticket booking website instead of lashing out at software makers such as Kingsoft, which was ordered to suspend its browser plug-in that made booking train tickets more convenient.

The Xinhua News Agency commented in an article saying that instead of simply banning the use of plug-ins, the Railway Ministry should break up the monopoly on ticket sales and promote reform.

The Railway Ministry should restrict the use of plug-in software and other unfair ways of buying tickets in order to maintain fair and equal opportunities for all customers, said the Yangcheng Evening News.

The Railway departments should consider outsourcing ticket sales and learning from the advantages of plug-in software, suggested the Beijing News. "Even if these measures do not correct the difficulties of buying tickets, at least these efforts will earn public support," it added.

Ticket Purchase

Booking tickets at train station ticket windows and agencies

Tickets can be purchased at ticket outlets, train station ticket windows or through agencies with valid personal documentation, including a Foreign Residence Permit, Exit-Entry Permit, Diplomat’s Certificate, Consulate Certificate, Seaman Certificate, any identification issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Passport Loss Certificate issued by exit-entry management departments at local public security bureau.

Booking tickets by phone:

Online booking:

Illustrations: Globaltimes.cn

Tips:

1. Starting from January 7, tickets for the upcoming Spring Festival rush period can be purchased online or by phone up to 20 days in advance, compared to 12 days in previous years. Passengers will also be able to buy train tickets from outlets and railway stations 18 days in advance beginning on January 9.

2. Tickets sell out quickly, so do not hesitate for too long at ticket windows.

3. One ticket is allowed per valid ID card provided. Foreigners must enter a passport number when booking online, along with a Chinese bank account number and sufficient fluency to navigate the system in less than 15 minutes, after which the transaction automatically cancels.

Click to read more tips>>>

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