Beijing is working on another two BRT (bus rapid transit) lines
after the first line was put into operation last year, in a bid to
extend the city's BRT lines to 60 km before the opening of the 2008
Olympics.
The capital city has taken the lead in China and among
developing countries in its development of a BRT system, with
international business leaders expressing their appreciation of the
city's efforts on Friday.
Beijing's first BRT line has 90 18-meter long buses that are
able to carry 145,000 people every day.
"It's fantastic!" Bryan P. Taylor, CEO of ZF South Africa Branch
told China Daily.
The veteran businessman, who deals in key parts supporting BRT
systems, expressed his surprise on seeing China's rapid and smooth
BRT development.
Line 1 is 16 km long with 17 stops running from Qianmen of the
city center to Daxing, a district in the south of the city.
Featuring environmentally friendly engines, longer carriages,
running on a special fenced-in lane and a lowered floor for easy
and safe boarding, BRT buses run faster than their conventional
counterparts thanks to a signal priority control system, an
electronic information system, and automatic fare collection and
operating systems.
The low-floor design enables the disabled to get on board easily
and also shortens passengers' boarding time by one second per
person.
The signal priority control system allows the BRT to run
smoothly, with traffic lights automatically turning green when a
bus is coming or remaining green as the bus passes by.
Currently, five cities including Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming and
Shenzhen are ready to introduce BRT and another four cities are
applying for it.
(China Daily October 13, 2007)