A bus installed with surveillance equipment and a solar-powered electronic bus stop were on display at the 2008 China International Industry Fair. [Wang Juliang/Eastday.com]

All Shanghai buses will be fitted with surveillance and anti-terrorist systems before the Shanghai World Expo opens in 2010. Advanced monitors that record all activity on buses will improve security for passengers.

The first bus installed with the new equipment will go into service in February next year.

Many visitors to the 2008 China International Industry Fair were attracted by a prototype of the bus and a solar-powered electronic bus stop.

The Shanghai government has invested 19 million yuan ($2.8 million) in its transport system since May, 2008, according to the Shanghai Transportation Investment IT Co., Ltd.

Using advanced technology to count the number of passengers and monitor the location of buses, the control center will be able to optimize the allocation of its vehicles in real time.

The public has been worried about security since two bus explosions earlier this year, one in Shanghai, the other in south China's Yunnan Province. The new security system should ease public anxiety.

The anti-terrorism system records real-time videos while buses are in operation. In case of an incident, pressing an alarm button will alert the public transport control center, which can pinpoint the vehicle's location and directly monitor the event.

The system will not only increase security, but will also provide police with video evidence that can be used in court.

The environment-friendly solar energy electronic bus stop will make bus-travel more convenient. The new bus stops display timetables and the real-time traffic situation. Electronic panels tell passengers when the next bus will arrive and how long it will take to reach its final stop.

It will cost 30,000 yuan (US$4,400) to refit each of Shanghai's 18,000 buses.

(China.org.cn by Wu Huanshu November 6, 2008)