Disabled Passengers Report Difficulty Buying Accessible Seats; 12306 Cites Limited Quota
A passenger with a level-2 physical disability reported buying a dedicated accessible rail seat only once or twice in about ten trips a year, describing the experience as opening a blind box. Reporters found this is not an isolated case; when accessible seats are unavailable, passengers resort to paying extra, negotiating seat swaps on board or sitting in the aisle. 12306 customer service said each train reserves a few accessible seats, sold preferentially to level-1 and level-2 disabled passengers with linked disability certificates, from presale until 24 hours before departure, with unsold seats released to the public pool within the day before departure. Industry insiders suggest stronge…