(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-17 07:23

We expect a crackdown on transport ticket scalpers during the festival period, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

Starting from January 23, each traveler can only buy at most five railway tickets for sleeping berths and 10 tickets for seats during one purchase as required by the Beijing Railway Administration to curb ticket scalpers during the Spring Festival period.

Whenever a holiday or a festival approaches scalping is common. To curb this practice we should also not ignore people who work for the railway department.

People who resell tickets at a profit employ others to buy tickets for them or print counterfeit tickets. This can be easily dealt with.

But scalpers who have connections with railway employees are much more difficult to deal with. According to an investigation by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, these ticket scalpers can make "group bookings". Some even have such close relations with railway employees they can buy all the tickets of a train beforehand. This is most harmful.

This year, the Beijing Railway Administration has suspended the selling of group tickets except for migrant workers and students. They have to buy tickets 15 days before the Spring Festival.

We should pay more attention to people who have inside connections as they are difficult to prosecute. Those caught should be given harsh punishment.

(China Daily 01/17/2008 page8)