成都公交车自燃事件

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A bus explosive killed 27 and injured 76 in southwest China's Sichuan Province last week. The fatal accident has drawn the public's attention on the problems of the public transportation system.The Legal Daily has published an article, pointing out three flaws of the current bus transit system.

It says every year over 20 billion trips are made by road transportation, a number far greater than other means of transportation. The authorities deploy policemen for other transportation means like aviation, railways and waterways. But no full-time police officers are deployed for the safety of bus trips.

What's more, the article says the overloading of passengers is another hazard for the safety of bus transportation. At rush hour, passengers always squeeze their way into crowded spaces, saturating the bus. However, bus drivers and conductors are not authorized to ask passengers to get off the bus. On the contrary, passengers are allowed to lodge complaints if they are refused.

The article therefore suggests the public transportation authority further improve the urban transportation system. It notes developing subway, city railway, taxi and bus rapid transit could be a way out to ease the heavy pressures on road transportation.

The article also says although regulations have ordered contingency plans put in place for passenger transportation accidents, no contingency plan was carried out in the fatal accident in Chengdu. It calls for public transportation departments to provide bus drivers and conductors with relevant emergency trainings.