Bus No. 71 now links to 2 branch lines
The No. 71 bus that runs below the Yan’an Elevated Road now links to two branch lines — No. 1250 and No. 1251.
The buses serving the branch lines have doors on both sides to ensure the smooth transfer of passengers from the No. 71.
Previously, No. 71 passengers had to and walk across Yan’an Road or use a pedestrian overpass to take other buses.
Bus No. 1250 starts at Tianshan Road and Shuangliu Road, ending at Dingxi Road, while the No. 1251 begins at Xianxia Road and Shuicheng Road, completing its journey at Kaixuan Road.
The No. 1250 shares the Kaixuan Road and Dingxi Road stops with the No. 71 while the No. 1251 also uses the Kaixuan Road stop.
Both branch lines will do a U-turn to the left after arriving at terminals shared with No. 71 to avoid occupying other car lanes. Then the No. 1250 will turn right to Tianshan Road while the No. 1251 turns right to Zunyi Road S.
The new buses will open their doors on the right side as usual, except at the stops shared with the No. 71 when the doors on the left side will open because there is no exit on the right side on the No. 71 route.
An elderly passenger on the No. 1251 yesterday morning said the branch line made it safer and more convenient to transfer to the No. 71. “Not just for the aged like me, but also for the pupils and the disabled,” Sun said.
The branch line buses look similar to the No. 71 vehicles except the branch lines do not have the pantograph on top. The driver said: “Instead, the branch line buses are equipped with battery that can support the bus for 300 kilometers once fully charged. Six new buses are used on the No. 1251 route, and nine on the No. 1250.”
QR scanners have been installed and Shanghai Public Transport Card Co said this is its first attempt at mobile payment. Passengers can download the Public Transport Card app and link their card to the app by inputting the card number on the back. The app account can be charged via WeChat, Alipay or UnionPay.
The Ba-shi bus company is planning to build two more branch lines in the greater Hongqiao region and Xujing area in 2018.
