Two inter-city bus lines from Jincheng in Shanxi province to Zhengzhou and Jiaozuo in Henan province are launched on Feb 11. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Two inter-city bus lines from Jincheng city in Shanxi province to Zhengzhou and Jiaozuo in Henan province were launched on Feb 11, making Jincheng the first city in Shanxi with interprovincial buses.

The two-way bus lines run at high speed. It takes as little as 5 hour to travel to Jiaozuo and 2.5 hours to go to Zhengzhou. The Jincheng-Jiaozuo buses will run each half hour from 6:30 to 21:00 at a ticket price of 10 yuan ($1.59). The Jincheng-Zhengzhou buses will run every fifteen minutes from 6:00 to 21:10 for a price of 20 yuan.

To benefit residents in three cities and facilitate the travel rush during the Spring Festival holiday, people can take the buses free of charge from the first day to the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb 16 to March 2 this year). In addition, the buses from Jincheng to Zhengzhou and Jiaozuo are free on weekends and other festival holidays.

Jincheng Automobile Transportation Co is responsible for preparing and operating the two inter-city bus lines. The company has selected 39 buses of 45 to 55 seats each, 50 experienced drivers, and 50 on-board guides.

Ticket booking windows for the two inter-city bus lines have been opened in Jincheng Passenger Transport East Station. Passengers can book tickets online, by telephone and in person at the station.

The inter-city bus lines are also expected to boost tourism in Jincheng as they run past local major tourist attractions, such as Huangcheng Xiangfu, a complex for officials built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Dayang Ancient Town and Situ Town.

Self-service machines, special passageways for tourists, tourist information and service centers and specialty exhibition areas have been set up.