Guiyang buses update in past decades

Ms Wu, an 81-year-old resident in Guiyang city, often takes the bus, thus she has witnessed the various transformations of Guiyang's public transportation system over the years. "Times have changed so quickly. The buses nowadays are so much better than before," she said.

In 1951, Guiyang saw the operation of its first batch of charcoal-fueled buses. By 1954, Guiyang's buses were successfully converted to gasoline vehicles.

The first batch of charcoal-fueled buses in Guiyang. [Photo/ddcpc website]

In 2008, State-owned Guiyang Public Transport (Group) Co actively responded to the development concept of "an ecological civilization city" and promoted the operation of liquefied natural gas buses. By the end of 2012, the city's buses had completely moved from petrol to gas fuel. Since then, Guiyang's streets no longer see diesel buses leaving a trail of black behind them.

Liquefied natural gas buses begin operating in Guiyang in 2008. [Photo/ddcpc website]

In 2019, Guiyang Public Transport (Group) Co purchased 204 pure electric buses.

As of Feb 2024, the company operates 2,615 buses, all of which are clean energy vehicles that serve 235 routes.

An electric double-decker bus transports people in Guiyang. [Photo/ddcpc website]

The company has calculated that compared to natural gas vehicles, each electric vehicle saves 67,000 yuan ($9,272) in fuel costs and reduces the consumption of 23.68 metric tons of standard coal annually.

Zhou Kaimin, deputy general manager of Guiyang Public Transport (Group) Co, stated that to contribute to China's goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the company has been actively promoting the use of new energy vehicles in recent years, while also improving the quality of its public transportation services.