On-demand bus makes lives easier for Wuxi residents

Students can take the customized bus to go to school in Wuxi. [Photo/WeChat Wuxi Bus]

Customized Bus is a public transportation service tailored for groups of residents who want to travel to a destination not covered by the city's regular bus network.

The service has already made a big difference to Mrs Lu, who lives in Guanshan Mingzhu, and her neighbors.

"My grandchild goes to Wuxi Foreign Language Kindergarten, which is so far that it was difficult for me to pick him up", said Mrs. Lu.

"Over 20 parents asked Wuxi Bus if they could provide a customized bus which goes from our communities to school in September. The idea was realized on Oct 9," she added.

The on-demand buses tend to be less crowded than normal rush hour services and tickets cost only five yuan ($0.75) per person for a 25-kilometer journey, making them a popular choice for Wuxi's office workers.

Wuxi Bus has already received 10,000 messages about Customized Bus since the service launched, and the company had launched 40 customized services as of September. These services have an average occupancy rate of over 90 percent.

As the Wuxi government continues to establish more bus lanes and introduce other bus-friendly measures, customized buses are likely to become even more common and efficient.

According to Wuxi Bus, it is currently working with the government and local companies, schools and communities to provide more routes servicing the city's business districts, tourist spots and schools.

Wuxi Bus will also ask citizens to vote for the routes they most want to open online. The most popular routes will be given priority when the company establishes its next lot of customized buses.