Vintage buses ply scenic Beijing routes

Twelve vintage buses started service Sunday morning in Beijing, bringing passengers to iconic attractions downtown.

Tourists take the pseudo-classical sightseeing bus powered by pure electricity in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 28, 2014. [Photo: Xinhua]

Starting near south Beijing's Yongdingmen gate tower, the 15-kilometer-long bus route stretched northward along the city's axis line, passing more than 20 scenic spots including the Temple of Heaven, the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, among others.

The buses run between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., costing 10 yuan (about 1.6 U.S. dollars) for single journey, and 15 yuan (about 2.4 U.S. dollars) for day trip.

Drivers are dressed in the Chinese Sun Yat-sen style uniform so as to give passengers a sense of nostalgia, while conductors are in blue overshirts which were embroidered with peony.

These buses were modelled after the trams that appeared in Beijing in 1924. They are painted red or green, with the floor of the carriage made of wood and the 28 seats covered with red leather.

Despite their antique appearance, the buses are powered with electricity and equipped with WiFi and air purification facilities.

According to a Mr. Liu with the Yintong investing group who oversaw production of the buses, the carriages are spacious to allow occasional performances such as cross-talks, and promotion of products from famous traditional brands.

Many old citizens in China's capital are quite fond of the trams, known to them as dangdang, with the sound of the bells drivers used as horns helping them recall days past.

The trams stopped service in 1966, 42 years after they were introduced.

Before the Olympics in 2008, the city revamped the historic shopping street at its heart and restored part of the tram services.