From farmland to city markets

The fruit and vegetable special line brings great convenience to farmers in Taiping Town, Chengdu, Sichuan province

It's early in the morning and the deep blue sky is star studded. Next to the bus station of Taiping Town, Tianfu New District in Chengdu, Sichuan province, farmers pick up grapes, corn and peaches. The waiting room for the fruit and vegetable special line has long queues and farmers began waiting for the first bus to Huayang at 6:10 am.

"The car is coming!" someone shouts. The notice prompts farmers to begin lining up for checking. When the bus arrives, its driver helps to carry goods into the vehicle.

The Tianfu Bus 701 Team of Chengdu has set up three fruit and vegetable bus lines since March 2018. The three fruit and vegetable special lines, which transport farmers into the city center, have carried 20,655 total passengers and 34,126 goods.

In order to stagger the early peak of work, farmers in the region must regularly get up early, and try hard to avoid loss of vegetables and fruits during transportation. After learning of the farmers' challenging conditions, the 701 team opened a special bus line for farmers to solve their daily travel problems.

According to bus driver Chen Jian, the fruit and vegetable special line has set up 11 stations along the way, such as Taiping Station, Lijia Courtyard Station and Taiping Market Station. The daily departure times are 6:10 and 6:30 am. Considering that passengers in the bus are mostly elderly with heavy goods, the drivers of the special lines usually have senior driving experience.

The city at 6:00 am has not yet fully woken up. During the 40-minute trip, farmers can take nap. The hustle and bustle in the markets, the next stop, is a stark contrast to the quietness found on the bus. For farmers who must wake up early each day, the fruit and vegetable line surely brings a welcomed measure of convenience.