The Reasons Why Most People in China Choose Public Transportation
- Arianti Widya
China – Public transportation in China is a crucial element of the country's transportation infrastructure, catering to millions of commuters daily in both urban and rural regions.
China boasts one of the most extensive and advanced public transportation systems globally, incorporating various modes such as buses, subways, high-speed trains, and more.
In major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, modern subway networks offer fast and efficient transportation, easing traffic congestion and reducing carbon emissions.
Hence, most people in China who reside in big cities prefer to use public transportation over their private vehicles.
"In China, many people use public transportation to save time and costs," said a tour guide during VIVA English's visit to China.
Illustration of Chinese people wait for the Skytrail
- Arianti Widya
A tour guide gave an example the difference between using public transportation and private vehicles.
"For instance, from my home in Yantian district to the airport in Baoan, it's about 40 kilometers. Driving by car might take around one and a half hours. The fare for a taxi is almost 200 yuan (around IDR400 thousand) very expensive," she said.
"But if you use the subway (public transportation), it's only 10 yuan (around IDR20 thousand), and the time can be approximately 30 minutes. So, it's cheaper, more time-efficient, and very comfortable," she added.
She also mentioned: "Especially in Shenzen, there are a lot of workers. So, they prefer to use public transportation for convenience,"
Furthermore, she said that public transportation in China, such as taxis, already has CCTV cameras, making it safe for passengers.
"In China, many taxis here already use CCTV. It's like a rule to ensure the safety of passengers," said the tour guide.
"Here, we usually use the DiDi app to call taxis. So, when I'm in a taxi, I can just sleep peacefully because the journey is well safe," she concluded.
As additional information, in 2023, China's urban public transport networks recorded a total of 54.7 billion passenger trips annually, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.
There are 703,000 buses and trams operating in China's urban areas, with over 540,000 of them powered by new energy sources.
Furthermore, there are 15 million bicycles in China available for online rental, with an estimated average of 30 million trips made on these shared bicycles each day.
According to Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang, China has made significant strides in developing its urban public transport system and promoting green travel, as reported by Xinhua.
