Research on Adaptability of Zoning Fare System in Metropolitan Area Rail Transit

［Objective］The zoning fare system is widely used in European rail transit systems, but has not yet been put into practice in many Chinese cities with rail transit operation. Following the rapid urban rail transit construction in China and the accelerated formation of metropolitan areas on rails, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of the zoning fare system and conduct in-depth discussions on above system adaptability in urban and metropolitan area rail transit of China. ［Method］After investigating the application cases of zoning fare system prices in foreign cities, the practical characteristics of this system are summarized. Taking the Guangzhou metropolitan area rail transit network as an example, a zoning fare system price scheme is proposed. Taking the price of metered fare structure as a reference, the adaptability of zoning fare system in urban and metropolitan area rail transit of China is comprehensively discussed from the aspects of zone scheme demarcation, pricing path setting, fare rule formulation, fare fairness and ticket guarantee capability. ［Result & Conclusion］The results of the research show that the implementation of zoning fare system for metropolitan area rail transit can encourage multiple seamless transfers within the zone, this will be conducive to the integration development of the fare structure and price for metropolitan area rail transit. However, there are great difficulties in zone edges setting and fare rules (basic fares and cross-zone fares) formulating. The zoning fare system also has requirements for the land use form of the region, and may reduce the company′s ability to guarantee fare revenue and change the pricing standards of urban rail transit.