Name-based system hailed a success by New Year travelers.

After a trial period, a majority of passengers leaving Guangdong province in the peak traffic season of the Spring Festival praised the name-based train ticket system for its fairness and called for it to continue in the future.

However, a spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said it remains to be seen whether the pilot project will continue next year and whether it will go nationwide.

Trains departing from major railway stations in Guangdong between Jan 30 and Feb 13 required travelers to provide ID certificates when purchasing tickets and boarding the trains.

By Sunday, 4.11 million train tickets with ID information had been sold, Guangzhou's traffic authority said yesterday.

Local surveys found a majority of passengers supported the name-based ticketing system, whether or not they were successful in purchasing a ticket.

An ongoing survey by Sina.com.cn, a major Web portal targeting those who tried to buy tickets under the new system, found that 60 percent of those surveyed believed the pilot system is more convenient.

But the name-based ticketing system cannot root out all scalpers.

Many scalpers now go online in a bid to avoid the risk of being caught by the police.

An anonymous scalper, who solicits customers online, said it is no longer necessary to meet ticket buyers.

Here’s what one scalper told People’s Daily: "It is all digital now. You and I do not need to meet. Just text me your ID number, name, ticket requirement and phone number. After I get the ticket, you pay me through an online bank. Then I will give you the order number and you can get the ticket at the railway station's ticket window.”

Questions:

1. Where is the name-based ticket purchasing pilot program being carried out?

2. Will the program go nationwide next year?

3. How do scalpers circumvent this name-based ticket system?

Answers:

1. Guangdong province.

2. The Ministry of Railways said it remains to be seen whether the pilot project will continue next year and whether it will go nationwide.

3. One scalper says he asks buyers to text him his ID number, name, ticket requirement and phone number. After he buys the ticket, his customer pays him through an online bank and then picks it up at the station.

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（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.