Shuttle buses to ease overcrowding on subway

Two new direct shuttle bus lines for the Line 6 and Line 8 subways will be put into operation on Friday to better facilitate the flow of passengers along the overcrowded lines during the morning rush hour, Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority said Tuesday.

For 2 yuan ($0.32) per ride, the dedicated shuttle buses running on five-minute intervals during the weekdays from 7:20 am to 8:40 am, carrying Line 6 subway passengers to Century Avenue from Jufeng Road station. Line 8 subway commuters will be dropped at People's Square from Hongkou Football Stadium station from 7:30 am to 8:30 am on each workday.

Local authorities said that the shuttles are meant to further reduce traffic congestion at busy stations along both lines during peak travel times, despite measures - including zigzag paths - that succeeded at spreading out crowd movement upon implementation last week, according to the city's subway operator.

The passenger flows at stations along the two lines will also continue to be monitored by authorities and further adjustments will be made later if need be, authorities added.