Taiyuan rated as national demo city for public transport

Taiyuan, capital city of North China's Shanxi province, was recently named as a national demonstration city for public transport development, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Transport.

The latest official accolade crowns a series of achievements made over the last few years in the area. Back in October 2012, Taiyuan was listed by the Ministry of Transport in the first group of pilot cities for the National Public Transport City Construction Demonstration Project.

Since then, the city has been committed to improving its public transport and along the road has made a number of notable advancements.

As an example, buses in urban Taiyuan have generally levied a fare of 1 yuan ($0.15) in cash and 0.5 yuan by card over the past few years, benefiting local residents.

The public bicycle rental system is free for one hour. The passenger transportation capacity of the eastern urban railway has been expanded to bring more convenience to travelers, while the opening of Metro Line 2 in the city ushered in a new era of urban rail transit for the city and even Shanxi province.

To meet the individual needs of residents for public transport, new services – such as tourist buses, dedicated buses, customized buses and express buses at major stations – have emerged in Taiyuan.

Taiyuan has also become the first domestic metropolis making all taxis electric – advancing the green, low-carbon and environmentally friendly transport evolution of the city.

At present, Taiyuan has established a three-dimensional public transport network combining the metro line, buses, taxis and public bicycles.

Next, Taiyuan plans to further implement its strategy of prioritizing the development of urban public transport. It will also improve the level of urban transport governance and accelerate the high-quality development of its urban transport, as the Ministry of Transport required.