Han Ximin
YELLOW-PLATE vehicles with 10 seats or more will be allowed to use bus lanes during rush hours from March 1.
Drivers of vehicles with 10 seats or more and registered with blue plates can apply for a yellow plate at police plate registration and management office, police said yesterday.
They will be allowed to use bus lanes between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. during weekdays.
Other vehicles will be restricted during these times. In addition, police will designate double bus lanes on busy roads like Huaqiangbei Road from March 1.
The change is to improve bus efficiency and encourage enterprises and institutions to use regular buses or minibuses to transport employees to reduce commuting costs and save road resources.
Previously, only buses and vehicles with more than 20 seats could use bus lanes.
Public buses will be forbidden from occupying other lanes except when turning right or left. Police will build more designated bus lanes in Longgang and Bao an districts and Guangming, Pingshan new zones.
The number of vehicles in Shenzhen reached 1.7 million in November last year and maintained growth of 20 percent.
Last year, police recorded 55,626 violations by vehicles occupying bus lanes.
