China's first intelligent bus lane put into use!

The nation's first bus lane that can "control" traffic lights was put into use in Shenzhen recently between Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center and Tangwei Metro Station in Bao'an District, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.

The coordination of the bus lane and traffic lights is based on the system coordinating vehicles and the road. The system can detect the speed, location and driving state of the bus and react to the traffic lights.

When the system senses the bus is about to arrive, the green light will be extended 10 seconds, while the red light's duration will be reduced by five seconds. Under this system, the traffic lights at the 11 intersections along the line could remain green as the bus arrives at each crossing.

Additionally, the buses have had an electronic screen installed that can alert the driver when the traffic lights change.

                                                                                                             The coordinating system on the bus.

The bus line serves shuttle buses between Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center and Tangwei Metro Station on Metro Line 11. A total of 20 50-seat buses will run on the route each day, and the number of vehicles will be increased to between 30 and 52 during an exhibition period, depending on the scale of the expo.

The buses bound for Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., while the service to Tangwei Metro Station is available from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The maximum interval between buses is 20 minutes, while the minimum interval is 15 minutes.

The fare for a single journey is two yuan (US$0.28) per person, which can be paid in cash or by ShenZhenTong card, WeChat pay or UnionPay.

                                                                           The intelligent buses look similar to ordinary buses. Photo from Spot News.

The bus picks up passengers at Tangwei Metro Station, Tangwei Metro Depot Station, Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center and the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center transportation hub.