In the 1930s, 5 diesel open-topped buses were operated in sections

Xiong Caixia, who is the party branch secretary of Xiaolongkan Branch Company of Western Public Transport, has engraved the development history of Chongqing bus on her mind.

In September 1933, the foundation of Chongqing Bus Co., Ltd. marked the starting of Chongqing bus.

In the beginning, the company only had 50,000 yuan corporate deposit and one operation vehicle which was a Benz diesel bus purchased from Germany. The operation route was the section from Zengjiayan to Qixinggang, and it means the first bus route in Chongqing was officially opened. Later the operation vehicles were added up to 5 and operated in sections with temporary ticket and long-term ticket.

It was said that at that time although it would take one or two hours to line up, a lot of people were still willing to try this relatively modern communication media for the time.

In the 1940s, the government dependently operated the company with hundreds of buses and thousands of staffs

In December 1937, it became an excellent opportunity to developing city bus with the National Government moving to and massive population swarming into Chongqing. However, the capital subsidy prohibited Chongqing Bus Co., Ltd. from purchasing new buses.

At this time, the state bank invested 1 million yuan as official shares to purchase 76 new buses which alleviated common people’s inconvenient travel. In April 1941, this company was wholly owned by the government and Chongqing Bus Management Office was established. The Bus Management Office had then 135 buses and 1,437 staffs.

Since the 1950s, the trolleybus had accompanied Chongqing people for nearly 50 years

In the course of Chongqing bus history, trolleybuses were certainly one of the highlights.

In 1956, the first trolleybus route in Chongqing was opened. Its road number was Bus 01 and its route was from Shangqingsi to Xiaoshizi. It was the first trolley line designed, constructed and built by ourselves after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Later on, 5 trolleybuses were successively developed in Chongqing downtown with nearly 500,000 person-times of daily passenger capacity. For quite a long period, this green and environmental bus had been the main operation vehicles of the urban public transportation system in Chongqing and carried the sweet memories of many old Chongqing people. The trolley bus did not end its historic mission in the main urban areas until 2004.

Natural-gas bag buses in the 1970s and 1980s made people feel wobbled

In the 1970s and 1980s, the first gas bag buses emerged due to domestic fuel supply problems, but the gas was not compressed and had to be fitted with a metal frame on the roof and then a thick rubber bag, which contained the gas. When moving, the air bag would sway with the body shake, which always made people feel wobbled.

Although the bus appeared unstable and there was no accident. The bus, which was decommissioned in the mid-1990s, has been a unique sight in Chongqing's bus history.

In the mid - and late 1980s more than 200 people could fit on hinged buses

Due to the increase of urban population, the common bus could no longer meet the demand, so people connected two buses and made them hinged buses. This bus could carry more than 200 people at peak times. However, the hinged bus was suitable for running in the plain area. The road conditions in Chongqing were complex and there were many ramps, so it was gradually replaced by a new type of bus.

In the 21st century the bus has entered the high precision sequence

With the development of the times and the progress of science and technology, Chongqing bus has also entered the high precision sequence.

In 2010, the first 50 new energy buses were put into operation in Chongqing. The new energy buses are gas-electric hybrid, with a length of 12 meters, 39 seats and a maximum capacity of 100 passengers.

As tourism in Chongqing becomes increasingly popular, in 2017, sightseeing buses with an ancient appearance and a tall inner appearance hit the road. They have shuttled between scenic spots, providing tourists with a direct way to experience Chongqing. (Translated by Qiu Shasha, Fathom Language Limited)