CRI听力:Riders Express Arrives in South China on Sunday

HE Jiyun, working in a factory in south China's Guangdong province, said it was his first time taking a high speed train.

"They have said that how come you've never taken the high speed trains. You are working in Guangdong. And now I have the chance. I'm a bit curious. What does it look like? Is it fast?"

HE used to ride his motorcycle home but, last year, he ran into an accident which prompted him to try a new service offered by the local transport authority.

Authorities offered to transport the bikes on a freight train while riders took a high speed train.

HE's bike left on Tuesday and arrived at a depot near his home on Saturday.

After getting off the train, 4 free shuffle buses took HE and other migrant workers to the depot to get their motorcycles.

They would then ride the last stretch of their way home.

Six trains are scheduled to carry these riders home from Sunday to next Friday.

Li Ziyu, a traffic police officer in Guangxi, said riding motorcycles has become a regular way home for many workers in the region.

"They are all somewhat related. They may come from the same village, or work at the same factory or in the same region. Gradually, they form this large group. And now riding motorcycles has developed into one of the regular ways to go home."

Named the "Motorcycle Army" by the media, the group started in the 1990s in the southern part of China as train tickets were extremely difficult to get during the travel peak.

They have now grown to a population of hundreds of thousands.

One of the riders Tan Shuixiang said riding motorcycles cost much less than taking buses or trains.

He also said it is more convenient.

"I rode my motorcycle back home in the Spring Festival. I can use it to visit my relatives. When I want to go back to Guangdong, I don't have to book tickets. I can go whenever I want."

Other migrant workers added that public transport cannot reach their villages so they might as well ride motorcycles.

But authorities consider this way of travelling very dangerous.

According to official data, on one section road in Zhaoqing in west Guangdong, 48 riders were killed during the travel rush in the past 4 years.

Rain will also soak the region this week, putting riders in even more danger.

For CRI, this is Fei Fei.