Wuhan offers 'vegetable basket bus' to transport farmers to market

The special "vegetable basket bus line" in Wuhan, Hubei province, helps farmers commute between remote villages and urban areas, bringing convenience and freshness to residents.

At 5:30 one recent morning, the Tuditang Street South Station along the J202 bus route was crowded with waiting passengers. They carried shoulder poles, with baskets, bags and backpacks at their feet filled with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.

After the bus arrived, the driver helped the farmers put their baskets in the aisle. Half an hour later, they reached a station close to the largest wholesale market for agricultural and sideline products in the city's Jiangxia district.

"Our bus line passes the most remote counties in southern Wuhan," said Dai Gang, Party secretary and manager of Jiangxia Public Transport Co of Hubei Highway Passenger Transport Group, a subsidiary of Wuhan Urban Development Group.

"Many of the residents along our route are elderly individuals who grow vegetables at home. When they have excess produce that they cannot consume, they bring it to market to sell."

However, since vegetable baskets occupy a lot of space, other passengers have no room to stand, so there were conflicts from time to time. In May last year, the company adjusted the first departure time from 6 am to 5:10 am, and increased the frequency from every 10 minutes to every five minutes. The measure effectively solved the problem, Dai said.

The line runs from May 1 to Sept 30 every year.

"This adjustment allows residents to taste fresh food early on, and the bus helps the farmers reduce their transportation costs," he said, adding that their fresh vegetables can fetch a good price at the morning market.

"The public service aspect of the bus is paramount. It should be able to accommodate briefcases as well as vegetable baskets," he said.

Since 2020, when the bus route opened, it has become the most convenient transportation mode for people living in about 30 surrounding villages. It covers 42 kilometers with 60 stations.

Previously, residents had to transport vegetables by pooling money to charter vehicles or other means of travel that were more expensive and unsafe.

More than 100 farmers take the "vegetable basket bus line" every day. As part of local policies to benefit people's livelihood, residents age 65 or older can take buses for free. Younger passengers may pay as much as 5 yuan (70 cents) to ride, depending on how far they are traveling.

Hu Siming, 52, a driver on the route, said most passengers are older than 60. Many carry three to four vegetable baskets. Commonly seen vegetables include green beans, loofah, sweet potato leaves, chile peppers and eggplants.

"Because the vegetables cannot be pressed, they occupy all spaces, though it looks empty from outside," he said. "Since the frequency and time were adjusted, the farmers have not affected other commuters. Everybody is satisfied. Although I get up one hour earlier than before and take an extra hour to clean the bus, I feel happy not having to listen to arguments or get involved in conflicts. It's peaceful to just focus on driving."

Hu has become friends with the vegetable farmers. Every time he meets elderly farmers, he stops the bus and helps them load their goods. In order to express their gratitude, the farmers often pull out a handful of vegetables from their baskets and hand them to him.

Hu repeatedly declines, but some passengers even throw the vegetables into the driver's cab and run away.

"The farmers are simple. They say the vegetables they grow at home are not worth much, and they just want to say thank you," Hu added.

A farmer surnamed Lyu, 66, said the bus is convenient and clean, and the driver's service is good.

"Taking the bus to sell vegetables helps bring us extra income," he said.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn