NATIONAL, NEWS: A New Ride to the Olympics
By Shi Rui and Lin Lin
For most of her life, Ms. Lee, a retired worker, has been riding the No.4 bus in Beijing.
But last Monday, she got a surprise. The regular No. 4, faded and dented after years of use, had been replaced by a shiny new German-designed bus. The new bus had padded seats instead of bare plastic benches and it even smelled better.
"The new buses are so much better than the old ones," Ms. Lee said as she rode along Chang'an Street, in one of the front seats of a new Yaxing-Benz bus.
The Chinese government has begun replacing its old fleet of more than 18,000 buses in Beijing as part of its effort to present a bright image of the city as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympic games.
Some of the old buses are more than 10 years old. They overheat and stall. Their brakes shriek and they belch black smoke. They shake and the windows rattle. "I had to have the volume of my MP3 twice as high as usual, but still couldn't hear clearly," said Bao Xiaoxiao, a high school student, at the bus stop in front of Beijing Foreign Studies University on the west third-ring road.
The biggest of the new buses have a flexible mid-section that makes them easier to turn through intersections. They can carry up to 180 people, 30 percent more than their predecessors. Some of the buses are smaller and do not flex in the middle. But all of them are known as "no-obstacle buses" and have wider aisles that provide more standing room and space for a wheel chair. They also have a single safety seat for small children with a set of three safety belts.
All of the new buses ride low to the ground and make it easier for the old and the disabled to get aboard. LCD screens in the front of the buses will broadcast the Olympic Games live. But TV sets hung from the ceiling of the buses are already playing melodramas interspersed with weather forecasts all day long. Mr. Yuan, a property manager of a real estate agency, said he especially liked the TVs, "We get entertained and can have fun on our boring ride now."
The new buses produce less pollution and the government is hoping for an additional environmental benefit. Perhaps more comfortable buses will persuade at least some drivers to leave their cars at home. Fewer cars will make it easier to get around town and could also help reduce pollution in one of the world's most polluted cities.
The new buses are going to cost more than 12.8 billion RMB, but experts say the investment is worth it. "Some citizens called the large-scale replacement a waste of money, but considering the tourism value brought by the usage of these environment-friendly buses, the return on the investment should be enormous," said Yang Hao, professor of Transportation Management Engineering from Beijing Jiaotong University.
Competitive bidding for the business pushed the bus industry to come up with several innovations in design. Chen Feng, the sales manager of the Huanghai-bus Corporation, said hosting the Olympics "has pushed our domestic bus industry three to five years forward."
Many Drivers and conductors like the new buses, "They look so beautiful that we call it 'a scene of Beijing,'" said one conductor.
But some drivers and passengers say they have discovered some design flaws. One driver said that the ceiling windows cannot be opened as widely as the old ones. "You'll get sweaty if you stay on the bus too long," the driver said.
Mr. Wang takes the No.2 bus two or three times a week. He is an exceptionally tall man who has lived in Beijing all his life. But he said that for most Chinese the overhead hand railings were not well placed. "The railing is too high for average Chinese person," he said
And there are other concerns. "The increase of new buses could impose a great challenge to the maintenance service, the route arrangements and traffic administration as well as parking space," said Professor Yang Hao.
But, Professor Yang, said: "Despite all the difficulties, I think the prospect is optimistic."
One significant measure of the new buses will be how they are received by foreign visitors. In Tiananmen Square, Muhammed Ali, a 27 year-old medical student from Kerala, India, said he rode three of the new buses to get from his hotel to the heart of Beijing Monday morning. "I felt safe, and comfortable on the bus," he said. "The buses here are better than those in my country. They are cleaner, and the whole condition of the buses is great."
For most of her life, Ms. Lee, a retired worker, has been riding the No.4 bus in Beijing.
But last Monday, she got a surprise. The regular No. 4, faded and dented after years of use, had been replaced by a shiny new German-designed bus. The new bus had padded seats instead of bare plastic benches and it even smelled better.
"The new buses are so much better than the old ones," Ms. Lee said as she rode along Chang'an Street, in one of the front seats of a new Yaxing-Benz bus.
The Chinese government has begun replacing its old fleet of more than 18,000 buses in Beijing as part of its effort to present a bright image of the city as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympic games.
Some of the old buses are more than 10 years old. They overheat and stall. Their brakes shriek and they belch black smoke. They shake and the windows rattle. "I had to have the volume of my MP3 twice as high as usual, but still couldn't hear clearly," said Bao Xiaoxiao, a high school student, at the bus stop in front of Beijing Foreign Studies University on the west third-ring road.
The biggest of the new buses have a flexible mid-section that makes them easier to turn through intersections. They can carry up to 180 people, 30 percent more than their predecessors. Some of the buses are smaller and do not flex in the middle. But all of them are known as "no-obstacle buses" and have wider aisles that provide more standing room and space for a wheel chair. They also have a single safety seat for small children with a set of three safety belts.
All of the new buses ride low to the ground and make it easier for the old and the disabled to get aboard. LCD screens in the front of the buses will broadcast the Olympic Games live. But TV sets hung from the ceiling of the buses are already playing melodramas interspersed with weather forecasts all day long. Mr. Yuan, a property manager of a real estate agency, said he especially liked the TVs, "We get entertained and can have fun on our boring ride now."
The new buses produce less pollution and the government is hoping for an additional environmental benefit. Perhaps more comfortable buses will persuade at least some drivers to leave their cars at home. Fewer cars will make it easier to get around town and could also help reduce pollution in one of the world's most polluted cities.
The new buses are going to cost more than 12.8 billion RMB, but experts say the investment is worth it. "Some citizens called the large-scale replacement a waste of money, but considering the tourism value brought by the usage of these environment-friendly buses, the return on the investment should be enormous," said Yang Hao, professor of Transportation Management Engineering from Beijing Jiaotong University.
Competitive bidding for the business pushed the bus industry to come up with several innovations in design. Chen Feng, the sales manager of the Huanghai-bus Corporation, said hosting the Olympics "has pushed our domestic bus industry three to five years forward."
Many Drivers and conductors like the new buses, "They look so beautiful that we call it 'a scene of Beijing,'" said one conductor.
But some drivers and passengers say they have discovered some design flaws. One driver said that the ceiling windows cannot be opened as widely as the old ones. "You'll get sweaty if you stay on the bus too long," the driver said.
Mr. Wang takes the No.2 bus two or three times a week. He is an exceptionally tall man who has lived in Beijing all his life. But he said that for most Chinese the overhead hand railings were not well placed. "The railing is too high for average Chinese person," he said
And there are other concerns. "The increase of new buses could impose a great challenge to the maintenance service, the route arrangements and traffic administration as well as parking space," said Professor Yang Hao.
But, Professor Yang, said: "Despite all the difficulties, I think the prospect is optimistic."
One significant measure of the new buses will be how they are received by foreign visitors. In Tiananmen Square, Muhammed Ali, a 27 year-old medical student from Kerala, India, said he rode three of the new buses to get from his hotel to the heart of Beijing Monday morning. "I felt safe, and comfortable on the bus," he said. "The buses here are better than those in my country. They are cleaner, and the whole condition of the buses is great."
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