Brand new buses to be used on Guiyang’s new bus rapid transit system wait to begin their first journeys in Guiyang, Guizhou province on Jan 21. [Photo/gog.cn]

Bus passengers in Guiyang will now be able to beat the traffic jams in the Guizhou province capital, as the city put three lines of a new bus rapid transit (BRT) network into pilot use on Jan 21.

More than 400 people gathered at the junction station early on Saturday morning to be the first passengers to try the new system, after the local government invited residents to try the buses for free on the opening day.

The sleek new buses met with approval from the first group of passengers. “The BRT bus is much more spacious and faster. It’s a very comfortable experience to take the bus,” said one passenger surnamed Zhang after finishing his first trip.

Covering 27 kilometers, more than 90 percent of which is bridges and tunnels, the new BRT lines are also much faster and more convenient than regular bus services. The lines run along their own dedicated lanes, allowing the buses to skip the traffic jams and maintain an average speed of 30 kilometers per hour, two to four times faster than a regular bus service.

Twenty-four stops have been set up along the lines.

Edited by Dominc Morgan