A bus passenger and the driver tried to force an elderly rag picker carrying bags of trash off a bus in Shanghai, accusing him of "polluting the air in the carriage with his smelly garbage". China Daily mobile news readers share their opinions with us.

The trash bags might be smelly, but they can only pollute within a limited space. It is the coldness and unconcern of people that pollute the environment of our society.

Peng shangqi, Shanghai

As part of the public transport service, the bus driver has no right to refuse any fare-paying passenger unless he poses an actual threat to others. Instead, the driver should offer solutions like further enclosing the bags or putting them in a corner to ensure the comfort of others, rather than simply trying to force the old man off the bus.

Shu qi, Beijing

Everyone is born equal. Those who wear too much perfume are also smelly, but we never hear of anyone pushing them off a bus.

A reader from Beijing

A city's development depends as much on the quality of its citizens as it does its economic achievements, and what happened on the bus brings shame to the city. What an irony it is that an old man was pushed off a bus where the broadcast keeps on saying "please offer your seat to those in need".

Jia Jia, Shanghai

The fact is that an old man that relies on collecting trash to make a living has already been scorned by the social welfare system. And now he is pushed off a bus because he is "smelly" and does not look tidy. Who can clean the polluted conscience of this society?

Xiangzi, Harbin, Heilongjiang

This incident has shown the decline of morality in our society. The old man comes from a vulnerable group and deserves our care, not scolding unfair treatment. This old man especially deserves our respect because he earns his own living, instead of relying on social support. No one has the right to push another off a bus, that's one basic rule of taking a bus.

Cirtain, Shanghai

Everyone is born equal. But there must be some universal rules to ensure everyone has the equal right to enjoy society's facilities. The smelly rubbish violates the rights of other passengers, thus it serves most citizen's benefits to prohibit this rag picker from riding the bus. It's not discrimination, but rather its opposite.

Da Wei, Shanghai

I once got on a crowded bus with a giant travel bag. On the journey I felt the unfriendliness of other passengers, and I got off one stop before my destination because of it. Therefore I don't think we should set a moral court to try the passenger and the driver, for the old man has really brought inconveniences to them. The true solution lies in strengthening public transport, so that everyone can get about conveniently.

A reader from Hefei, Anhui province

The treatment the old rag picker received shows that our civil society is far from ripe and grown. The bus is meant to serve everyone, including the old man, who also enjoys equal rights.

Pan Chenyu, Huizhou, Guangdong province

(China Daily 08/15/2011 page9)