Thousands of extra video cameras are being installed on Beijing’s buses in an effort to improve public politeness ahead of the 2008 Olympics, state press said on Tuesday.
The campaign is aimed at raising standards of courtesy in the capital, such as giving up bus seats to the elderly, children, pregnant women and the handicapped, Xinhua news agency said.
Bus riders caught on video giving up their seats will be recognised as ”star passengers”. But the cameras will also be on the lookout for bad behaviour, it added.
”As China develops, some young people have become more self-centred and simply ignore people who need seats when they get on a bus, or subway train,” Xinhua lamented.
”With the 2008 Olympic Games only two years away, concerns about behaviour are frequently raised — rude behaviour such as spitting, queue-jumping and littering have made headlines recently.”
So far, Beijing Public Transport Holdings, which operates more than 24 000 buses in the capital, has installed video cameras in about 4 000 buses and will increase that by another 3 000 by the end of the year, it said.
There were no details of any awards for the ”star passengers” or penalties for those who were rude.
Chinese authorities have over the past couple of years launched a series of campaigns, both specifically for Beijing and nationally, to improve people’s manners and behaviour. — AFP
