Beijing is to hold a hearing on its plans to charge fares for public transport according to the distance traveled, the Beijing Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday.

Details of the hearing will be released 15 days in advance.

Currently, ticket prices for buses and the subway are fixed regardless of the distance traveled.

The prices, set seven years ago, do not cover operating costs, say officials.

The fare reform plan, which if implemented will be the fifth since 1991, is based on detailed research and surveys of public opinion.

A study showed that 83.5 percent of the 40,000 questioned agreed that charging the same price for all bus trips was not rational, and 92.5 percent felt the same about the single price for metro journeys.