Enhanced public transport and digital services ahead of tomb-sweeping day

Shanghai Metro and bus operators have announced to enhance capacity to cope with the surging travel needs for tomb sweeping.

From March 25 to April 5, the Qingming Festival, there will be shuttle buses picking up passengers near cemeteries at 17 Metro stops along eight Metro lines across the city.

The Metro operators will also optimize their services, such as increasing trains, shortening intervals, and strengthen guidance to meet the increasing travel needs, according to Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.

In addition to improving Metro services, more buses will be dispatched during the peak travel period.

Starting from tomorrow, Shanghai will open 13 designated tomb-sweeping shuttle buses, with a total of 332 vehicles covering more than 10 cemeteries in Jiading, Qingpu, Jinshan, Chongming and other districts. Among them, seven lines connecting to some Metro stops will be free to ride, according to the local road transport center.

Digital support

Shanghai's official smart transport platform, Suishenxing, launched a new function on Friday to serve tomb-sweeping travel needs.

People can use the Suishenxing app to check tomb-sweeping trip plans, information about cemeteries and surrounding areas, such as shuttle bus schedules, and nearby restaurant and parking information.

After the means of travel is decided, the app will recommend a matching route based on real-time traffic conditions and public transport schedules.

For people who are driving, the app can also provide navigation and parking spot reservation services.

Initiated by the local government, Suishenxing is the first metropolitan platform with multiple functions, including public transportation, taxi hailing and smart parking.

Its original version popped up online last October, operating based on Shanghai's Mobility as a Service (MaaS) system.

Ti Gong