Beijing transportation authority will introduce new, cleaner buses to provide more convenience for passengers. 
 
In the run up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the city's transportation authority will introduce new, cleaner buses to provide more convenience for passengers.

Fifteen of the new public buses will go into service on Thursday. They are expected to be the most common type of public bus by 2008.

Some of them will provide a slope at the door to make it easier for passengers in wheelchairs to get on and off, and also have a special space for wheelchairs.

In addition, Beijing's promise of a "green Olympics" includes a move towards powering 90 percent of the city's buses with clean energy, namely, natural gas fuel and hydrogen, by 2008.

By 2007, the city will have adopted the Euro III emissions standards.

However, with 3.5 million cars expected on Beijing's roads by 2008, traffic jams and air pollution are still major headaches for transportation planners.

(CRI.com April 22, 2004)