service fee $33 for train tickets

Dear Erik Verweij,
Thank you for enquiry!
Our service fee for each ticket is $8, and the reason why it is $33 for the ticket from Pingyao to Xian is that the booking procedure is little bit complicated.
First, Pingyao is a very small station, and it is impossible to get a soft sleeper ticket from the station. So we contact our local agent to book a ticket from Taiyuan to Xian for you.
Then, our local guide will give the ticket to the station office directly and you just need to get onboard with the copy of the ticket.
So the service fee includes the money we paid to the local agent.