British students experience the future of public transit in Shenzhen, S China

A group of British students participating in the "Touching the Greater Bay Area" program toured Chinese carmaker BYD's headquarter in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, and took their maiden voyage on the Pingshan SkyShuttle Line 1, the city's first municipal air shuttle line.

This innovative transit system, developed by BYD, runs between Pingshan High-Speed Railway and BYD North stations, covering a distance of 8.51 kilometers with 11 stations along the route. With a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the entire journey takes no more than 20 minutes.

Students were impressed by the system's efficiency and affordability, with a single trip costing only 3 yuan (approximately $0.41). They also noted how quiet the electric trains ran, which minimizes disturbance to nearby residents.

Mevna Bulathsinhala, a British student from London School of Economics and Political Science remarked, "I didn't know much about BYD before coming here. But now that I've come here and I know about the technology that (BYD) has to offer. I feel like it has a pretty good place in the international global market."

The visit provided the students with valuable insights into China's rapid technological development and its commitment to sustainable urban planning.

The second round of the "Touching the Greater Bay Area" program was co-initiated by Guangdong Radio and Television and People's Daily Online (UK). 

(Intern Wang Lin also contributed to this story.)