Shanghai City officials hope a new long-haul bus terminal, which is currently under construction, will make it easier for travelers to find the bus they are looking for.

Currently, the city is home to more than 40 long-haul terminals, many of which are very small and dingy.

In the future, officials would like to see only three large stations and seven smaller ones in the city.

The new terminal is scheduled to open by May next year near the Shanghai Railway Station, the major gateway linking the city to major cities nationwide.

The terminal, which is expected to cost 750 million yuan (US$90.36 million), will house a four-story passenger terminal, a 27-story office building for use by various bus line operators and other companies as well as a gas station.

Once completed, the station will make traveling by bus more convenient and comfortable, said Liu Yijun, an official with Shanghai New Century Zhixin Bus Service Co, which will manage the terminal.

"Shanghai has too many stations scattered around the whole city, most of which are small and dirty. Passengers have no idea of where to catch a bus, unlike those who take trains," said Liu.

Two existing terminals near the railway station will be torn down once the new facility is completed and the bus lines they handled will be moved to the new depot.

Transport officials said the new terminal should be capable of handling more than 1,000 routes and 20,000 passengers a day to various destinations around the Chinese mainland, including neighboring cities and faraway ones like Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Taiyuan.

The city's long-haul bus lines currently handle about 13.5 million passengers a year.

The terminal will be located in an area bound by Kongjiamuqiao Road to the east, Zhongxing Road to the north, Hengfeng Road N. to the west and Jiaotong Road to the south.

(Shanghai Daily February 20, 2004)