The
population of China represents one sixth of the world population and thus is an
enormous user of public transport. An increase in economic activity and opening
up of the country has meant an increase in private transport on one hand, but
also an increasing demand on public transport as more and more people are drawn
into an upward spiral of economic development. There also is an increasing demand
for quality long distance transport, while, though still limited, opportunities
for private operators on the huge Chinese market have drawn interest of private
investors. Until
recently the Chinese market for buses was catered for by a number of large state
owned and private companies, producing large numbers of standardized, fairly basic
vehicles. These included city buses, rural buses and long distance buses. Many
buses in China use alternative fuels, such as LPG and low-pressure natural gas.
Trolleybuses
are also a common sight in many cities. The national local buses tend to be fairly
standardized and sometimes the same model is produced by different factories,
making it difficult at times to distinguish between models.
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