Crosstown Traffic - New Buses for Beijing
On Tuesday commuters waiting for bus numbers 723 and 458 were met with a pleasant surprise, as instead of the regular old bus pulling into the stop, the first of the more than 2000 bright and shiny, environmentally-friendly buses that the Beijing Public Transport corporation is bringing into service this winter, glided into the stop. Despite running on diesel, with the help of something like a catalytic converter (anyone know how to translate 尿素液注筒?), the buses meet strict European IV emission standards and measuring in at 15.4 meters long, they’re also have the added advantage of being able to transport up to 200 passengers.
Other stand out features of the new buses include:
- The bus is low riding which means that when it pulls in to a stop it draws level with the platform, making it easier for disabled and elderly people to board the bus.
- The hard working and surprisingly Zen-like drivers who navigate Beijing's snarling traffic on a daily basis are going to be much more comfortable when driving the new vehicles as they are easier to steer and the seating is adjustable.
For more on Beijing's efforts to reduce fuel emissions from the city's public transport, see the Transportation chapter in the recently released 2008 edition of the Insider's Guide to Beijing.
Where to take the bus:
Line 723
Qianmen (前门)– via Chongwenmen - Majuqiao(马驹桥)
The route heads east from Qianmen to Chongwenmen before heading south to Majuqiao out in Tongzhou district.
Line 458
Beijing Nanzhan(北京南站) - Yungang Nangong (云岗南宫)
Which heads first west and then south of Beijing Nanzhan past the Fengtai Sports Center into Fengtai district
You can check out a map of the routes by copying the Chinese names of the terminal stops into this handy new tool on the Chinese Google site.
According to officials other bus routes including lines 671 and 300 will also be provided with some of the 2000 new vehicles over the next few months.
Links and Sources:
The Beijing News: 15米新公交身背尿素瓶 (images)
Yahoo: 15米新公交多容纳五六十人 满载率高的线路先用
Beijing Public Transport Official Site
State Environmental Protection Administration: More Environmental-friendly Buses to Cut Pollution in Beijing
