Residents above the age of 70 can use a special social security card starting on August 1 that will grant them free rides on all buses in Shanghai during non-rush hours, Eastday.com reported Thursday.

Applications for the card will start early next month and delivery of such cards is expected to be completed to more than 1.6 million elderly residents by July, the report said.

The special card will replace ordinary social security cards or identity cards. It will be the only card accepted for free bus rides, it added.

Traffic usually peaks from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

But the cards cannot be used on tourism bus lines or the Maglev train.

In October, fare discounts were doubled to one yuan (14 US cents) for passengers using transport cards who switch between Metro lines and buses within 90 minutes.

A total of 409 bus routes, mostly in urban areas, have adopted the discount policy.

The discount offer is meant to encourage people to take public transport and ease traffic pressure.

(Shanghai Daily March 21, 2008)