(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-16 20:37

BEIJING -- The number of bus travelers is expected to reach a peak on Saturday, with 60.95 million people believed to hit the roads as millions get back to their normal lives after the holiday, the Ministry of Communications said on Saturday.

The number is 2.5 percent higher than last year, and additional buses were thrown into operation in major transportation hubs including Changsha in central Hunan province and Guangzhou in south Guangdong province to cope with the rush, sources with the ministry said.

By 4:00 p.m. Friday, major national highways hit by the freezing weather all resumed normal traffic, the State Council's special office for the relief of the disaster said on Saturday.

Chinese travelers made an estimated 235 million bus trips during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, the ministry said on Tuesday.

The figure represents a 3.4 percent rise from the same period last year despite the worst winter storms in decades leading to highway congestions in many parts of the country.

Major bus stations nationwide stepped up safety measures and the Global Positioning System was used to keep a close eye on the bus running, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, 900,000 Chinese made trips by water on Saturday, up 3 percent year on year. Some 6.15 million Chinese made trips by water during the seven-day-holiday, down 3 percent year-on-year.