Booking train tickets online gets easier for China's seniors
- By Zhu Bochen
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 7, 2021
China's official online railway ticket-booking platform 12306.cn was upgraded on Sept. 1 with improved accessibility for seniors who struggle using digital devices.
To improve the user experience for seniors when purchasing railway tickets online and help them better adapt to the internet age, the website now offers elderly-friendly options such as zooming in and out, color enhancements and text-to-speech functions.
In the meantime, conventional ticket windows and other in-person rail ticket services will remain unchanged to better meet the needs of seniors who have difficulty using digital technologies.
The mobile app for 12306.cn will also introduce a senior-friendly upgrade in early September. The new app will provide senior users with bigger fonts, icons and enhanced colors.
The changes will also help the disabled buy train tickets online.
According to the official micro-blogging account of 12306.cn, the website has over 25 million registered users aged over 65.
The need for elderly-friendly adaptations of smart technologies has come to the fore in recent years as China works to cope with its aging population. In November 2020, China's State Council published an implementation plan to help the elderly cross the digital divide.
According to the plan, China would tackle the most urgent and everyday needs of seniors using smart technologies by the end of 2020, before spending another year promoting the use of such technologies in daily services. A long-term mechanism to allow seniors to enjoy high-quality and convenient digital technologies in everyday life will be established by the end of 2022.
A total of 20 requirements concerning seven aspects of seniors' daily lives were put forward in the plan. These covered seniors' needs amid major emergencies, daily travel, medical services, shopping activities, cultural events and sports, public affairs, as well as the elderly-friendly transformation of digital products and applications.
Given the plan, China's transport authorities last December ordered ride-hailing operators to make their mobile apps elderly-friendly and help seniors travel more conveniently using smart technologies.
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