Beijing to Phase out MinibusesBeijing will phase out the operation of minibuses in inner part of the city as from September 26, including the major avenues in the central part of the capital.The ban signals the beginning of the end of these minibuses which have been operating in the city since 1984, when the city had insufficient public transport. But the minibuses have been blamed for many problems in the city. They randomly stop to pick up or let passengers alight, which block the flow of traffic and emit excessive amounts of pollution from their environmentally-unsound exhaust pipes. There are 33 minibus companies with 3,800 minibuses. They employ about 8,000 people and carry 191 million passengers annually. The minibuses will be gradually replaced with petroleum- or electric-driven buses. |
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