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Tibetan town gets its 1st bus service
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-03-17 17:49

 

Kangding in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has become the first Tibetan town in Sichuan province to have a local bus service.

Buses are common in other parts of China. But for Tibetans in Kangding, this is a totally fresh experience. Lots of locals were happy to try the bus in their hometown. Walking and taxis used to be the only way to get around in Kangding town. A taxi charges 4 yuan per person inside the town, twice as much as a bus ticket. And the 10-kilometer journey between the old town and the new one costs 20 yuan by taxi, compared with three yuan by bus which is being subsidized by the local government.

Kangding has a regular population of 50,000. Though there are only two bus lines, they cover most of the county's main streets between 7:30 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening.