On January 7, Jingzhou released the Opinion on Supporting Urban Areas in Preferentially Developing Urban Public Transport. The Opinion noted that Jingzhou has proposed to set up a special fund for public transport development in central urban areas to support public transport enterprises in developing sustainably. According to the Opinion, the first and last stops of bus junction of Mengxi Railway East Station, Zaolin bus junction, Buhe bus junction, Wenxinglou bus junction, steel tube works, Ximen, Wudelu Lante Ceramics City, airport and Sujia Zhuanpan in Jingzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone should be built up before 2015, with a bus stop coverage rate of 90 percent within a 500-meter radius of central urban areas; and Shabei bus junction, Tanqiao bus junction, Libu bus junction, Taihu bus junction, Sujia Zhuanpan bus junction in Jingzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Haizihu bus junction, Xiongjiazhong bus junction should be built up before 2020, with a bus stop coverage rate of 100 percent within a 500-meter radius of central urban areas.
In the meantime, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will be planned and constructed rationally. According to the situation of urban development and passenger flow growth, the land for BRT construction should be controlled and reserved. Construction of two BRT lines should be initiated by 2015 and another BRT line should be constructed by 2020 to form a BRT network composed of "three main lines and four branch lines".
Jingzhou will set up a special fund for public transport development in central urban areas. The special fund for public transport development in central urban areas should comprise 1 percent of the municipal public finance budget revenue and 0.5 percent of the district public finance budget revenue from 2014. The fund will be mainly used for urban public transport planning, construction of capacious public transport systems, integrated traffic hubs, traffic terminals and auxiliary facilities, equipment purchase and renewal, R & D and popularization of new technologies, implementation of relevant subsidy policies, etc.
Jingzhou will intensify vehicle renewal subsidization and grant financial subsidies according to annual vehicle purchase plans. For income decrease from free ride for the aged, the disabled, wounded and disabled soldiers and servicemen as well as discounted ride for students and adults, the municipal finance should make appropriate compensation according to facts. The public finance should give reasonable subsidies for increased investment in technical renovation of public transport enterprises, security monitoring system construction, safety equipment purchase, leasing terminal construction, advancement of energy conservation and emission reduction, etc.