Chinese train officials to publish photos of fare-dodgers on social media for public to identify

Chinese train officials in the city of Shanghai plan to publish photographs of people using the MTR without tickets to encourage the public to report offenders, mainland media reports.

The two-month-long campaign would help tackle the “rampant” problem of people making trips by sneaking under ticket barriers without paying, or using tickets issued to pensioners that allows cheaper travel, Shanghai Morning Post reported.

In the past, Shanghai’s public transport and security authorities have posted pictures of offenders caught on surveillance cameras on the mainland social media microblogging website, Weibo, but with their faces digitally hidden.

However bloggers complained: “It is useless to try to expose the bad behaviour of people if their faces are covered so they cannot be recognised.”

Now MTR officials planned to randomly select photos of the faces of offenders caught on camera and post them on Weibo so they could be identified by the public, the newspaper reported.

Shanghai’s train regulations state that people caught using trains without tickets can be fined up to five times the standard ticket price. Those people caught trying to travel more cheaply by using a pensioner's ticket could face a fine of up to 500 yuan (HK$606).