With the imminent opening of Metro Line 3 this year, Guangzhou will put into service 11 more bus-subway link routes, providing residents in over sixty large housing estates in Haizhu and Panyu districts with direct access to the subway system.

Public buses are the primary means of transport for local people, carrying more than five million passengers a day. With the opening of Metro Lines 1 and 2 and part of Lines 3 and 4, the total length of the subway currently in operation is over 50 kilometers and carries some 600,000 passengers each day.

By 2010, when Guangzhou will host the 16th Asian Games, the Metro network will service over 80 percent of Games venues. The extensive track network in Guangzhou will make the city's urban center accessible to all resident with, at the most, a half-hour subway ride and the beach at Nansha will be just a one hour ride away.

In recent years, Guangzhou has accelerated the development of its public transport network dramatically. The network now comprises 357 routes, covering all administrative districts, business districts, residential areas and major villages. The number of daytime routes has increased by 19 percent from early 2003: nighttime bus routes by 123 percent; and, their operating length has risen by 24 percent. In addition, 3,061 bus shelters have been added, either by construction or renovation, and 320 bus bays have been built; and, by 2010, 30 hub bus stations will be directly linked to the Metro system.

To-date, more than ten LPG refueling stations have built at bus hubs and supporting bus stations on Zhongshan 8 Road, Tianpingjia, Chenbei and at the Olympic Sports Center, and over ten LPG refueling stations at Menkougang and other locations.

So far, the number of public buses running on clean energy (LPG or electricity) is 6,194, accounting for 74.1 percent of the total. And, the Guangzhou Municipal Transportation Commission will continue to provide support for Sino-foreign cooperative, privately-run and foreign-funded bus operators to use clean energy in order to fulfill its task of converting all buses to clean energy by the end of this year.

Editor: Yan