Customized Buses May Ease Beijing Traffic Congestion

　　As part of its effort to ease the traffic jams in the capital, Beijing, the municipal government is to start a customized bus service.

 

　　It is estimated that a single bus could replace up to 30 private cars on the city's congested roads.

 

　　An online poll about the new service has already attracted about 90 thousand votes so far, with many showing great interest in the service.

 

　　Hu Jia has more.

 

　　By the end of next month, the first bunch of routes will be up for city dwellers² to subscribe³ to.

 

　　The proposed seat-guaranteed, wi-fi enabled and air-conditioned buses successfully address the issue of overcrowding. However, people are questioning if this innovation is a way of solving the primary problem, congestion⁴.

 

　　Zhu Liang is a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

 

　　"The biggest problem in Beijing is that there're way too many private cars, so the most direct way is to persuade car drivers, or at least some of them, to favor public transport. This customized express shuttle could act as an alternative for car drivers."

 

　　Although buses and subways here in Beijing form one of the most developed public transport networks in China, the city has failed to attract private car owners to embrace greener options.

 

　　The uncomfortable ride and the inconvenience caused by numerous transfers in public transport is not only time-wasting but also nerve-breaking.

 

　　When comfort is not a big worry, concerns centre on whether or not the price will be affordable⁵.

 

　　Bus fares in Beijing for transit⁶ card holders⁷ currently stand at 0.4 yuan for adults and 0.2 yuan for students.

 

　　Hong Chongyue, the vice¹ president of the Beijing Public Transport Group, says they are aiming to establish a monthly package deal at around 30 percent of the cost of driving a car.

 

　　"We'll charge 15 Yuan for a 20 kilometer return ride. But if you choose to drive a private car for as long as that, the cost could well surpass 50 yuan, given the amount spent on toll⁸ fees, fuel and parking lots."

 

　　To distinguish the new service from the existing community commuter⁹ express, Hong stresses that the customized bus will hand over the total responsibility over the initiative to passengers.

 

　　"In the past, we planned the routes first and passengers would apply for seats. But this time, the Group will plan routes according to the needs and load of passengers. We will then recruit potential customers via this platform."

 

　　The service is expected to mainly connect dense¹⁰ residential¹¹ areas, such as Tiantongyuan and Huilongguan in northern Beijing, with main areas, such as the CBD in the east and the Financial Street in the west.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

4 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

5 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

6 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

7 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

8 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

9 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

10 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

11 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。