Confusing bus fare

[zhouhana]

Here in Xiamen, the buses always have a sign that says how much it costs to get on the bus, but the second price I don't get. A "complete ride"? How do I know if I need to pay the higher price? Just curious!

I understand that the second line refers to the price with a bus pass. I don't need that translated.

Thanks!

(Edit: Whoops, sorry for the upside-down image ...)

[mikevwilliams]

Doesn't the complete journey fare only apply if you get on at the first stop of the bus (e.g. the terminal) and get off at the last stop? Otherwise it should be the 1 yuan fare. In all honestly if this is the case, I doubt the bus driver cares enough for you to pay the full fare, just swipe once/pay 1 yuan and get on board.

[xuefang]

It seems to be that if you ride the bus from the first stop to the very last one, then it's 2 yuan. But I don't know if it's ok to take the bus from the second stop to the second last stop and just pay 1 yuan.

Interesting, haven't seen this my self. In Beijing the fare usually depends on where you're going. And in Guangzhou the fare is always the same no matter how long you sit on the bus. But some lines have two fares, 1 yuan if there's no AC and 2 yuan if there is.

[roddy]

It is a bit confusing - the third line also tells you what the 跨段站点s are - ie the stops between . . . er . . .bits of the route. Normally I'd expect there to be an increment in fare at those points. But 全程 does make it sound like the complete route.

My guess would be that a 全程 is between any two of those three stops.

[Kenny同志]

I would interpret it this way: if one gets on the bus at the first stop and gets off at the last one, the fare is 2 yuan; otherwise, it is 1 yuan. But very likely, this is not what the bus company means. Given the expression 跨段站点, I guess passengers are expected to pay 2 yuan if they cross 海沧车站 and 厦大（厦门大学？）from either end.

I could be wrong as the sign is really confusing.

[roddy]

Hmmm, I was assuming the first and last of the 跨段站点s would be the origin and terminus, but that isn't necessarily the case.

It's no good, you'll have to walk.

[Kenny同志]

Roddy wrote:

I was assuming the fist and last of the 跨段站点s would be the origin and the terminus,

This could be the case but I am still not sure. They might be too lazy to make it clear.

[anonymoose]

Just pay 1 yuan, and if (in the unlikely event that) anyone queries it, just say (in English) that you've paid your fare. Or better still, get a 交通卡.

This reminds me of the first time I went to Beijing. The ticket seller asked each passenger how many tickets they wanted. (This was in the days before 交通卡.) I assumed it was just one ticket per person, so I always just bought one ticket. Makes sense, right? Only later did I realise that journeys of different lengths required different numbers of tickets! I must have dodged at least 10 yuan of fares during that trip! Naughty me.

[jbradfor]

Is it possible here that "全程" means round-trip? I believe that is not the normal term, but.....

Assuming it is, it's still a bit weird, as normally a round trip is cheaper than 2 one way....

[anonymoose]

normally a round trip is cheaper than 2 one way....

I don't think that's the case in China. In fact, when taking the metro, local buses, long-distance buses and trains, tickets are all sold for single journeys. Technically, you can buy return air tickets, but the total fare is still based on two one-way sectors.

[jbradfor]

What I meant to say is that when a separate round-trip fare is offered, it is usually cheaper..... Or else why bother?

[anonymoose]

Yes, I know. I just mean that the text on the sign is unlikely to be refering to round-trips since round-trip fares seem not to exist in China.

[imron]

Is it possible here that "全程" means round-trip?

I don't think so.

[xiaocai]

I think it means that the route is divided into four zones, and those 跨段站点 are where two zones meet. The bus fare starts from 1 yuan, and will go up, say, 0.5 or 1 yuan if you travel from one zone to the next. But it will be capped at 2 yuan, so even you have taken the bus across all four zones you only have to pay 2 yuan instead of 4. Just my guess.

[zhouhana]

Wow, thanks for all your replies! Actually an article that was published today mentions how it works: "After the reform of ticket price, passengers will pay just 1 yuan to take a bus within Xiamen Island. If passengers take the bus to the places outside Xiamen Island, such as Jimei or Haicang, they should pay full fare of 2 yuan instead of 3 yuan; however, if the line length is within 20 kilometers, passengers will pay just 1 yuan. "

I forgot to mention that Xiamen's downtown area, where the picture is taken, is located on an island!