By Wei Zhimin

A No. 9 city bus in Chengdu, capital of southwest Sichuan Province, caught fire in the morning rush hour on June 5, leaving 27 passengers dead and 72 injured. The very next day, Shenyang in Liaoning Province reacted quickly to the accident, according to the Beijing News report.

The Shenyang municipal transportation bureau decided on June 6 that air conditioning will be switched off in buses this summer, and within a month all sealed windows will be replaced by pull-and-push windows. In addition, bus companies will be required to reinforce supervision of passengers on entry and exit, and containers of liquid will be banned.

The rapid reaction reflects the positive attitude of the bureau; however, the countermeasures involved seem excessive.

Should one refuse to eat for fear of choking? Improving the interior fittings and the standard of comfort of buses is a reflection of a developing economy, so switching off air conditioning is a backward step. High-rise buildings are inconvenient for firefighting – should this be a reason to restrict the construction of such buildings? Of course not – improved fireproofing and firefighting technologies are the logical way forward.

To forbid the transportation of liquids on buses is also impractical in view of the huge social cost. Buses remain the principal means of transport for most citizens. If airport-style measures of supervision on entry and exit were adopted, transport efficiency would be reduced sharply or even paralyzed. The whole of society would pay a high cost for the human and material resources required, especially in terms of time expended. Moreover, buses are not simply used as commuter vehicles, but also for shopping and outings in suburbs, so it would be hard to ban liquids on buses.

In terms of technology, new-style buses are equipped with the latest in lifesaving fittings like emergency buttons and manual arrangements to unlock the doors. There are automatic firefighting systems for the engine, pull-and-push windows made of flame-resistant materials, sealed windows that can be opened in the case of a crisis, and emergency hammers. Furthermore, a comprehensive system of security checks, repairs guarantees, and maintenance files is also in place for bus management.

Therefore, ensuring safety on board a bus is not about switching off the air conditioning, but implementing modern technology and following structured management systems strictly.

I suggests following four measures to ensure bus safety:

- The state financial department should allocate special funds to adapt technology for large and middle-sized passenger vehicles like buses and estate cars, setting down unified security criteria and compulsorily enforcing them.

- The relevant central departments should review and amend the present production standards of passenger vehicles to improve their security.

- Governments at all levels should develop the local public transport system by providing financial subsidies, commercial loan guarantees and private capital, focusing in particular on privatization reform, to ease the problem of overcrowding and eliminate the hidden risk of fire.

- Safety education on public transport should be strengthened to enhance citizens' ability to deal with the public emergencies.

Basically, we need to innovate better and more appropriate systems and reduce social friction and conflicts to reduce the ratio of man-made public safety incidents. These are the appropriate measures to take following the Chengdu bus fire.

(China.org.cn translated by Zhou Jing, June 9, 2009)