[Photo via CCTV News]

Starting from March 16, a special shuttle bus route between Beijing and Xiong'an New Area officially began its operation. Compared to the trial phase, the official phase now adds a new branch line, which runs from Liuliqiao Subway Station via Lize Business District to Xiong'an's Zhongguancun Science Park.

Schematic Diagram of Stops in Beijing

Schematic Diagram of Stops in Xiong'an

Ticket booking for the route opened at 15:00 on March 13. Passengers can conveniently check its stops' information and schedules and purchase tickets through the WeChat account "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Customized Shuttle Bus" (京津冀定制快巴) or its mini-program. After completing their real-name registration and ticket purchases, passengers can board the bus by swiping their identity document and having their face scanned for verification at the in-vehicle terminal.

The route adopts an operational model combining "reservation-based travel, flexible stop placement, online verification, and remote security check". It enjoys the priority to use bus lanes and does not need to stop for inspections at Beijing's entry checkpoints, significantly reducing passengers' travel times.

The Beijing-Xiong'an route focuses on the core needs of commuters, with its stops covering key transportation hubs, densely populated areas and industrial clusters in both regions. In Beijing, nine important transportation hubs are included, which are Lize Business District, Xingong Subway Station, Xinfadi Subway Station, Gongyixiqiaobei Bus Stop, Jiaomen Xi (W) Subway Station, Caoqiao Subway Station, Fengtai Science Park Subway Station, Liuli Qiao Subway Station, and Gongzhufen Subway Station. In Xiong'an, the route connects Xiong'an Business Service Center, as well as main areas for enterprises relocated from Beijing such as China Satellite Network Group (CSCN), China Huaneng Group, Sinochem Tower, China Unicom, China Mobile, and Zhongguancun Science Park, offering a seamless transfer service integrating subways and shuttle buses.

To date, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei customized shuttle buses have opened 12 routes with 57 branch lines. In addition to the Xiong'an New Area route, the bus routes now connect Beijing to Hebei's Yanjiao, Dachang, Xianghe, Gu'an, Yongqing, Bazhou, Zhuozhou, and Langfang's urban area, as well as to Tianjin's Wuqing, Baodi, and Haijiaoyuan. Over 163,000 trips have been made, with a cumulative passenger volume exceeding 5.3 million.

(Source: Beijing Fabu)