Recently, a video circulating online has sparked heated public discussion. On August 16, on the K1156 train from Shanghai to Chengdu West, three passengers purchased tickets for three hard-seat seats (005, 006, and 007) in carriage 6 using their real names. Two of these passengers boarded the train and took their seats according to their assigned numbers, placing snacks in the empty seat (006) corresponding to the ticket of a passenger who had not yet boarded. During the journey, a passenger in the same carriage with a ticket without a seat number requested to sit in the empty seat (006) and asked the train conductor for assistance. After verifying the ticket purchase and seat situation, the train conductor suggested that the two passengers resolve the issue themselves.

On August 21, the Chengdu Railway Bureau of China Railway issued a statement regarding the incident, providing a professional legal definition based on the "Civil Code of the People's Republic of China" and the "Railway Passenger Transport Regulations": Passengers who purchase tickets but fail to board the train are deemed not to have exercised their right to use the seat within the train's operating section; based on the principle of privity of contract and railway passenger transport rules, the seat cannot be occupied or disposed of by a third party. Any special needs should be reported to train staff for on-site coordination.

Passengers boarded the train without having their tickets checked.

It is considered as not exercising the right to use the seat.

Following the statement issued by the Chengdu Railway Bureau of China Railway, another round of public controversy has erupted. Many netizens expressed support for the two girls, arguing that train tickets represent a purchased consumer right, and ticket holders have the right to freely choose their seats. Other netizens supported the passengers without standing tickets, arguing that train seats are a public transportation resource, and leaving seats unused during peak travel times is wasteful. They argued that seats should be reassigned to passengers without standing tickets or those who purchased tickets but did not board. In response, a relevant official from China Railway Group also made a further statement.

Jiao Degui, Director of the Compliance Management Division of the Corporate Legal Department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.: According to the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, the Railway Passenger Transport Regulations of the Ministry of Transport, the Measures for the Real-Name Management of Railway Passenger Tickets, and the Railway Passenger Transport Rules of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., if a passenger fails to board the train after purchasing a ticket due to his or her own reasons, it shall be deemed that the passenger has not exercised his or her right to use the seat.

In the past, if a passenger missed their train after it departed, their ticket was invalidated. Now, however, passengers who board the train without having their ticket checked can enjoy the right to rebook a ticket for a train departing before midnight on the same day, but they no longer have the right to freely choose their original seat.

Jiao Degui, Director of the Compliance Management Division of the Corporate Legal Department of China State Railway Group: If the view that ticket purchasers can control their seats is supported, theoretically, a passenger who buys one ticket can enjoy the rights of two tickets: one is an empty seat that can be used even if the ticket is not checked before boarding, and the other is a ticket that can be changed after departure. This is not only a waste of public resources, but will also create a negative demonstration effect, which may lead to more people buying multiple tickets to reserve seats. This is unreasonable.

Can I buy more tickets if I have special needs?

So, if passengers have special needs, can they purchase tickets for more passengers than the number of passengers required?

Zheng Duo, Director of the Passenger Transport Management Department of China State Railway Group: Passengers with special needs such as illness or accompanying a patient can purchase more tickets than the actual number of passengers. For example, if two people are traveling and one is accompanying a patient, they need space for three tickets to allow the patient to lie down or place medical equipment. They can purchase three tickets with three ID cards when purchasing the tickets. However, they should explain this to the train staff after boarding. The staff will provide priority passenger services and assist in explaining the situation to other passengers.

The right to dispose of the ticket belongs to the ticket purchaser.

Instead of fellow travelers

Some netizens raised objections, arguing that the rule is unfair in terms of rights and responsibilities. The ticket purchaser has already paid, and the failure to have their ticket checked does not mean the railway department has completed the refund. Is it fair to directly deprive the ticket purchaser of their seat rights without a refund? If the vacant seats created by unchecked tickets are allocated to standing passengers, what happens if the original passenger boards at an intermediate station? Should that seat be used by the standing passenger or by the original passenger?

Jiao Degui, Director of the Compliance Management Division of the Corporate Legal Department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., stated: According to relevant laws and regulations, a passenger service contract is established between the passenger and the transport company from the moment the passenger pays for the ticket. Passengers who do not board the train without a ticket forfeit their right to use the seat for the designated section of the journey, and who may subsequently have the right to reschedule, etc., all belong to the passenger themselves, not to their companions. Even if the companion is a relative or the person who purchased the ticket for them, they have no right to dispose of the passenger's vacant seat.

The railway department stated that if a passenger fails to board the train due to their own reasons, thus creating an objective fact that the passenger is not exercising their right to use the seat in the section of the train that is currently in operation, and the seat becomes vacant, then if a passenger without a standing ticket needs a seat, they can use the seat or ask the staff for coordination to find a temporary seat.

Zheng Duo, Director of the Passenger Transport Management Department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., stated that the railway department will not resell tickets before the original passenger cancels or changes their ticket. However, it should be noted that passengers with standing-room-only tickets are temporarily seated. If the original passenger boards the train midway, they still retain the right to use that seat and can ask staff to ask the temporarily seated passenger to leave so the original passenger can take their seat. (Source: CCTV News)