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Vintage buses ply scenic Beijing routes
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TWELVE vintage buses started service yesterday morning in Beijing, taking passengers to iconic attractions in downtown.
Starting near south Beijing’s Yongdingmen gate tower, the 15-kilometer bus route stretched northward along the city’s axis line, passing more than 20 scenic spots, including the Temple of Heaven, the Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, among others.
The buses run between 8am and 5pm, costing 10 yuan (US$1.6) for a single journey, and 15 yuan for a day trip.
Drivers are dressed in the Chinese Sun Yat-sen style 1920s uniform so as to give passengers a sense of nostalgia, while conductors are in blue overshirts which are embroidered with peony.
The buses were modelled after the trams that appeared in Beijing in 1924. They are painted red or green, with the floor of the carriage made of wood and the 28 seats covered with red leather.
Despite their antique appearance, the buses are powered with electricity and equipped with WiFi and air purification facilities.
According to an official with the Yintong investing group which oversaw production of the buses, the carriages are spacious to allow occasional performances such as cross-talks, and promotion of products from top traditional brands.
Many old citizens in the capital are quite fond of the trams, known to them as dangdang, with the sound of the bells drivers used as horns helping them recall days past. The trams stopped service in 1966, 42 years after they were introduced.
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