Eco-friendly economy gains popularity in Guiyang

Electric cars drive along a road flanked on either side by a forest of trees. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Since Guiyang got the green light to establish the country's first ecological civilization demonstration city in 2012, it has continuously innovated its development concept and created an ecological civilization.

Nowadays, Guiyang is home to the largest number of urban public transport vehicles using liquefied natural gas in China and even in the world – and has become a model for the country's vehicles moving over from oil to gas.

"We plan to upgrade all Guiyang's buses by 2025," said the head of Guiyang Public Transport Co.

With the continuous improvement of Southwest China's Guiyang and nearby Guian New Area's transport system, public transportation is widely seen as being an important way to practice green mobility.

Back on March 30, the new loop-line of the Guiyang urban express started operating, providing a new channel for Guiyang residents to travel by public transportation.

The 113-kilometre-long loop-line set up 17 stations and now it takes only one hour and 26 minutes for residents using it to travel around the city.

At the same time, the loop-line is connected with subways, buses and airports – making it much more convenient for people to do transfers.

As a key category of new energy vehicles, electric vehicles are favored by many Guiyang residents for their environmental protection and economy.

"Electric vehicles are much cheaper to use than petrol vehicles and there are many charging piles in Guiyang, which are convenient, economical and eco-friendly," a ride-hailing driver surnamed Chen said.

Data showed that at the start of March, there were about 6,000 charging piles in Guiyang. These created a network covering highways, public building parking lots, social public parking lots, large residential communities and other areas.

On April 1, the Guiyang municipal government and auto manufacturer BYD signed an investment cooperation agreement. As a result, the two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in new power battery industry projects.

Looking ahead, expectations are that Guiyang can transform from being a national ecological civilization city to an emerging city with the rise of the green economy.