The Spring Festival travel rush is usually characterized by long ticket lines and packed train cars. But some people are opting for another route by riding home on motorcycles.

Liu Xiaohua and his wife are migrant workers from Jiangxi province. They've been working in Fujian province for over ten years. To save money this year, they've decided to motorcycle their way back to their hometown.

"Another year has passed. We want to come back home as early as possible to see our parents and kids. Train tickets are too expensive, so we chose motorcycles to get home." Liu said.

Early in the morning, Liu and his wife stopped by the gas station to fuel up. Liu says using the motorcycle instead of the train has saved them about 400 yuan, which is enough to buy 5 kilos of pork for their holiday celebration in the countryside. And even at this early hour, they're not the only ones on the road.

PetroChina has gotten into the holiday spirit, offering free gas and food at 43 of its stations along the highways in Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. That nearly covers Liu and his wife's entire journey home.

"We provide food, water and gas free of charge for these migrant worker. Meanwhile, we give them safety vests and insurance worth 300,000 yuan." Han Fei, deputy general manager of Petrochina Fujian Sales Co., said.

PetroChina and Sinopec also provide free maintenance services for the motorcyclists. And police at Guizhou, Guangdong, and Hunan provinces say they're working together to ensure everyone has smooth traffic during the holiday travel rush.