Commuters in Shanghai are being offered a 50-yuan ($7.99) reward for reporting their bus driver's bad driving and bad habits, the city's bus operator said.

The Shanghai Ba-Shi Public Transportation Group said it welcomes public supervision over its 570 routes citywide starting Thursday.

The company said they want to hear from commuters who have witnessed bus drivers commit traffic offenses such as running a red light or straddling two lanes of traffic. They also want passengers to snitch on drivers who smoke or use their mobile phone on the job.

"We will reward the passengers 50 yuan by charging their public transportation card as soon as we confirm the infraction," said a bus company staffer surnamed He.

"Such infractions tarnish the city's image and put passengers' safety at risk," He added.

Video or photographic evidence has to be submitted to the company within three working days of the alleged offence. No complaints had been received as of late Thursday. "It's a long-term policy, the complaints may come to us soon," said He.

Chen Qiang, head of Ba-Shi's No.121 route, admitted drivers are feeling pressured by the new measure and equates it to office workers being forced to work under surveillance camera.

"Shanghai has been quite strict in regulating bus drivers; we don't think it will cause a problem with the drivers. After all, the goal is to improve our driving skills and ensure passenger safety," Chen added.

If two passengers separately file the same complaint, the one who files first will receive the reward. If two commuters co-file a complaint, they will split the award, said the company's website.

The videos or photos must clearly show the infraction along with other information including the bus route, bus plate number and the time of the infraction.

Some netizens worried that the measure would attract professional infraction finders. "If that happens, it means there are a lot of violations and a huge space for us to improve," He told the Global Times.