Traffic police ensure tourists enjoy their trip
The law enforcement department of Shanghai Transport Commission found 16 illegal tour buses on Thursday.
As the Dragon Boat Festival draws near, travel agencies are testing the limit of the law.
Officers at Hanzhong Road Station at 6:30am spotted a bus with a Zhengzhou plate parking outside the station. Non-local buses are not allowed to do tourist business in Shanghai.
The 40-odd passengers on board told the officers that they were off on a day trip to Yangshan Deep-Water Port. Each of had paid 70 yuan (US$10) for the trip.
“The only destination a non-local bus can have in Shanghai is its hometown, and in this case it is Zhengzhou,” said Zhou Guangyu from the traffic authority. “If tourist want trips in Shanghai, they should find a bus with a local plate.”
When the officers asked the driver of the illegal bus to provide documentation and a driver’s license, he couldn’t come up with either.
Though police later confirmed the driver did have a license, he was not qualified to drive such a bus. The bus was seized and the travel agency that hired it will be investigated.
The traffic authority then arranged another bus so the passengers could still enjoy their day out.
The officers warned tourists to be cautious of travel agencies, as well as the buses they board. Many unscrupulous operators emerge in summer.