Shanghai to open 42 Expo bus routes

Shanghai will open 42 special bus routes during the upcoming 2010 World Expo to help get visitors to the Expo sites, Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Sun Jianping, head of the Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority, said the newly-opened routes will connect with bus hubs and subway stations, as well as entrances and exits to the Expo site.

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Buses and subways around the Expo site will also extend operating hours, he said.

"We hope about 50 percent of passengers could come to Expo site by the subway system while the bus system transports another 40 percent," Sun was quoted as saying.

Shanghai's metro system has a daily ridership of 4.3-4.5 million, according to a report on eastday.com, a Shanghai-based portal website.

Eastday.com also said daily ridership may reach to 7.2 million during the Expo, a severe challenge to the network.

Fifty-thousand cabs will also help to meet the transport demand during the Expo, east.com reported.

About 70 millions tourists from home and abroad are expected to visit the 2010 Shanghai World Expo from May 1 to October 31.