Baoding bus company still unable to resume suspended routes

A bus company in Baoding, Hebei province, said suspended routes in the city could not be resumed for the time being due to financial strain after a suspension statement was published online.

A netizen inquired on the news portal people.cn whether suspended bus routes in Baoding will resume operations. The netizen mentioned the only bus route in their neighborhood — No 18 — has been suspended, leaving no buses available for transportation in the area, and they have been eagerly anticipating the resumption of services.

The Baoding Public Transport Company responded since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020, the passenger volume of local buses has plummeted, and the operating income of the company is less than 30 percent of normal levels.

Additionally, the batteries of the first batch of electric buses have exceeded their warranty period, posing safety hazards. Therefore, all electric buses have been forced to withdraw from operation, seriously affecting services.

The company will reorganize and adjust routes and vehicles to ensure smooth operation with concentrated passenger flow during peak commuting periods.

The company said it currently had no capacity to resume the operation of temporarily suspended routes, including the No 18 route. When the financial situation allows, priority will be given to the restoration of 23 temporarily suspended routes.

According to ThePaper.cn, last November the Baoding company issued a notice stating operations were facing great difficulties due to the continuing epidemic and eight bus routes would be temporarily suspended starting Nov 15.

According to official statistics, Baoding has a permanent population of 11.4 million, with an urban population of 3.2 million.

In August 2022, the public bus service in Dancheng county, Henan province, announced its suspension due to an inability to pay driver salaries. In the same month, eight companies in Leiyang, Hunan province, jointly issued a notice stating they would suspend bus services starting Aug 25. However, after coordination by government departments, the suspension was revoked.

In February, the public bus service in Shangqiu, Henan province, issued a notice of suspension. After wide media coverage, the suspension was also revoked.