New bus in south China makes emergency escape easier

A staff member demonstrates how to escape through a large safety window, after all the nine exits open when an emergency button is activated, July 29, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

GUANGZHOU - A bus featuring a new security system debuted in south China's Guangdong province on Friday to make it easier for passengers to escape during emergencies.

The electric-powered bus, designed by the Municipal Commission of Transport in Guangzhou, will perform trial runs before it is adopted more widely.

According to Zhao Jiantong, manager of the information office of the Guangzhou electrical bus company, there are eight emergency buttons inside the bus. One of the buttons is for the driver, while the remaining seven are for passengers and are located near seven safety windows.

"In the case of explosion or fire, people can escape through nine exits," Zhao was quoted as saying by the Guangzhou Daily.

The safety windows are larger than those on the old buses and are positioned lower to allow seniors and children to escape.

When a button is pressed, information on an electronic screen outside the bus immediately changes from the bus number to "SOS," accompanied by emergency lights and alarms.

The new bus is also equipped with a "black box" that automatically sends information and video footage from the bus to the control center when an accident happens.

A bus carrying a tour group from Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province crashed into a highway barrier and caught fire near Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport on July 19 as tourists were en route to the airport for their flight home. All 26 people on board, including a local driver and a local tour guide, were killed.

The accident renewed people's concerns over public transportation safety.