During the Spring Festival, passengers at the Ditan Ximen (West Gate of Temple of Earth) bus stop was crowded with people. Among the crowd, volunteers wearing blue vests guided the waiting passengers while maintaining order. Less than 10 minutes later, a No. 141 bus arrived. Once the driver aligned the bus door with the designated spot, volunteers stood below the bus, guiding everyone to get on the bus in an orderly manner.
Ever since the Temple of Earth Temple Fair began, bus driver Sun Jianguo has been assigned to additional shifts on the No. 141 route, shuttling between the Shidaizhuangyuan North Station and the Ditan Ximen (West Gate of Temple of Earth) Station. By 7:30 in the morning, Sun Jianguo would arrive at the bus depot and do the preparation work. During the festive, he carefully checked the supplies in the convenience bags inside the bus, and also prepared tissues and wet wipes for passengers to use. "During these days, the number of passengers is even more than during peak hours on regular workdays, and these items are essential for everyone," Sun Jianguo said. He noticed that since the Temple of Earth Temple Fair resumed, not only was there a large flow of passengers at the West Gate of the Temple of Earth, but there were also more people waiting at various residential areas along the route. Many passengers traveled with their families, including many elderly people and children. Sun Jianguo would give them warm reminders when they boarded, saying, "Please sit on the first floor of the bus, and be careful while getting on and off the bus."
In addition to adding interval buses from Shidaizhuangyuan North Station to the Ditan Ximen (West Gate of Temple of Earth) Station, the No. 141 bus route also includes two interval routes from Shidaizhuangyuan North Station to Qianmen, and from Huizhongli to Qianmen. Five buses shuttle along these busy routes, adding 18 trips daily, effectively alleviating the travel flow at commercial areas such as the West Gate of the Temple of Earth, Wangfujing, and Qianmen.
Furthermore, the No. 141 bus fleet arranges for staff to provide safety reminders at key stations daily. Particularly at the Tiantan Nanmen (South Gate of the Temple of Heaven) Station, where the waiting platform is narrow while with more passengers, safety workers from the bus fleet take turns to be on duty. Whenever a vehicle approaches the station, they inform passengers in advance to wait in the safe area and guide the vehicle into the station. Additionally, staff would provide safety reminders to drivers based on different time periods and road conditions, ensuring the safety of passengers both inside and outside the vehicle.
In response to the reopening of major temple fairs this year, the Beijing Public Transport Group's First Passenger Transport Company made advance preparations for the operation plans of various bus routes. They arranged for professionals to conduct on-site surveys at stations with high passenger volumes, combined with the big data gained from the regional intelligent dispatch command center to comprehensively analyze passenger flow trends and formulate scientific, rational, and efficient operation plans.
During the festival, the daily trips of No. 141 were increased from 144 to 158, with a daily passenger volume exceeding 20,000. Similarly, No. 430, which also passes through the Temple of Earth Temple Fair, added 2 interval buses from Dongshagezhuang to the Ditan Ximen (West Gate of Temple of Earth) Station. During the 8-day holiday, these two routes collectively operated more than 2500 trips, safely transporting over 120,000 passengers. The Beijing Public Transport Group's First Passenger Transport Company not only increased the services of routes such as No. 141, No. 430, and No. 345 passing through commercial areas and attractions, but also made preparations for additional and standby vehicles at Beijingxi Railway Station during peak hours of returning to Beijing, facilitating public transportation for passengers arriving at the station at night.
Translator: JIANG Wenyi
Reviewer: NIU Lihua
