First appeared in
Asian Development Bank
50 climate solutions from cities in the People's Republic of China
Public transport in Beijing can be a slow and unpleasant experience, with many people choosing the car instead. To overcome this, private bus operators are now offering a con- venient commuter service right to the office door.
In response to the crowded public buses in Beijing, the ‘Pick Me Technology’ offers a higher level of service for daily commuters who are willing to pay a little extra. Founded in 2014, it is now the biggest internet commuter-bus sharing platform in the PRC, serving 20,000 passengers daily. The system is operated using privately owned buses that must comply with strict standards before being allowed to operate in the system. Users can either use their public ‘WeChat’ account or the app ‘Pick Me Technology’ to select a route and pay for the ride. The comfortable shared buses provide a non-stop service from residential areas to workplaces, making the commute faster for users.
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TONS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCED ANNUALLY DUE TO THE SHIFT TO SHARED BUS USE.
Although the bus system is privately operated, the city government is encouraging use of the system by providing access to public bus stations and bus lanes. Thanks to ‘Pick Me Technology’s success in Beijing, the bus service now covers several other Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, operating thousands of routes daily, providing millions of white-collar passengers with a fast, efficient mobility service.
The shared bus service offers a fast, convenient and comfort- able alternative to other modes of transport in Beijing.
The Challenge
Beijing suffers from a lack of public transport capacity, resulting in a low service level for passengers, with long travel times and inadequate space at stations and on buses. As such, many of Beijing’s workers rely on the slow subway system or polluting single-occupancy vehicles for their commute; this shared bus system is out to change that.
Co-Benefits
Economic Assuming each shared bus trip could save half an hour, the total time saved per year is 107,500 hours. Based on the 2016 average Beijing income, this time saved is worth approximately CNY 3.2 million.
Environment By reducing the number of single- occupancy car journeys, the shared bus scheme is annually reducing HC emissions by 26 tons and NOx emissions by 66 tons according to the company’s estimates.
Health In a city where almost 100,000 people visit the hospital each year for respiratory illnesses, this initiative aims to improve air quality and respiratory health for Beijing’s residents.