Society

2.29b long-distance bus passengers during Spring Festival

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-11 03:01

BEIJING - The number of long-distance bus passengers stood at 2.29 billion in China for the 40-day Spring Festival traffic rush which ended Wednesday.

The figure, almost doubling the country's total population of 1.3 billion, set a new record, up 8.7 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

On average, some 57.25 million bus passengers were on the road every day and more than 820,000 buses were put into use every day, said He Jianzhong, spokesman with the MOT.

A total of 29.02 million Chinese travelled by air during the Spring Festival traffic rush, up 12.8 percent from the same period last year, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China Wednesday.

A total of 204 million Chinese travelled by train during the Spring Festival traffic rush, setting a new record, said the Ministry of Railways Wednesday.

Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, fell on February 14 this year. It is the most important Chinese traditional festival for family reunions. Millions of Chinese journeyed across China during the 40-day rush period beginning January 30.