Shenzhen Metro has come under fire after a report by Southern Metropolis Daily said on July 6 that it would set up VIP compartments on the new Subway Line 11, which is under construction, to meet the needs of affluent commuters. At a cost of twice the regular fare, passengers would be able to ride in a VIP carriage with guaranteed seats and special luggage racks for larger bags.

Chen Qi, deputy manager of the operating company of Shenzhen Metro, dismissed the report of VIP services amid a public outcry, but confirmed that there will be "special compartments" for Subway Line 11. "Trains for that line will have eight compartments instead of six, so we plan to make two compartments special, on which we won't sell standing tickets. This is to meet the demands of high-end customers," he said.

@Shuixingtangshuihu Sina Weibo user

Would extra cars be added to the subway? Would the platform be lengthened, or the trains be transformed into double-decker ones? If these changes can't be made, it will increase the subway-riding burden on regular passengers to meet the needs of VIPs. Other cars will be more crowded. This measure can bring in economic gains but damage public interests.

@Qimawenlu Sina Weibo user

It's OK to pay double to have a seat on the train. They can't be blamed for controlling the stream of people with economic leverage. After all, it's necessary to take concrete actions to solve the overcrowding problem. Paying more money to get higher quality of service is reasonable.

@Xiaodingzaishuohua Sina Weibo user

Passengers are already divided into different classes by different consumer habits. Subway is a public service, whose main purpose is to meet people's most basic need, not economic gains.

@Jiuyubian Sina Weibo user

I think it is indisputable. This kind of service has already been applied in Hong Kong. People get whatever kind of service they want, why not? Public transportation costs taxpayers money, but as an enterprise, it also needs to make a profit. And people have different needs for being served, like some might drive a Rolls Royce while some drive a Charade.

@Youjiaweijunaizhuji Sina Weibo user

It's understandable to provide various options for people to choose from, including VIP tickets. It's people's own choice. But who takes the subway more often? How many people would take the VIP service with such a high price? Shenzhen is a city where the gap between the rich and poor is huge. Would this intensify the contradiction between people of different economic backgrounds? To be honest, it's disappointing.

@ Liuhui Sina Weibo user

It's good for people who aren't feeling well, pregnant women and people like that. And the real rich people seldom take the subway, at least during rush hour. During non-rush hour, the subway is actually comfortable. And don't call it VIP carriage, call it Special-care carriage.

@Zhu Xuedong, chief editor of China Weekly

Subway is the main public transportation in cities. The current crowded situation reflects the lack of transporting capability of public transportation. Under such a circumstance, spending public resources to meet a part of people's needs is unrealistic.

In an early online survey conducted by Chinese portal website Sina, 70.7 percent of 9,956 participants believe it's not appropriate to set aside VIP compartments.

It is impractical for the government to introduce segregated compartments into its metro system to meet passengers' different demands unless it solves the severe congestion problems first and improves public transport capacity.