According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as many as 300 million of China's nearly 1.4 billion people will move from the countryside by 2030 to join the 600 million already living in cities. Traffic congestion and worsening pollution are forcing the government to improve public transport systems to cope with the influx.

The government "must prioritize the development of public transport systems to ease traffic congestion, transform urban transport, improve people's quality of life and improve the provision of public services," said a statement issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, on January 5.

The statement fleshes out a broad policy guideline issued in October last year to support the transport goals in the nation's current five-year plan, ending in 2015.

The government will aim to make public services the "dominant" form of transport in urban areas and boost the use of electric vehicles, such as buses and street cars, in addition to rail transit, it said.

Airport shuttle buses, school buses and shuttle buses for specific institutions can use public transport lanes and parking may be banned in congested areas, according to the statement.

Authorities will expand the public transport vehicle fleet and ask bus operators to increase driving speeds.

Local authorities are required to place bus stops every 500 meters in downtown areas.

The government will encourage the development of smart cards and mobile-payment systems, and initiatives such as increasing the use of vehicle rental and better taxi-booking facilities will be supported.

According to the statement, between 2011 and 2015, public transport vehicles will be exempt from the consumption tax and they will enjoy favorable rates in vehicle taxes and electricity charges. They will also receive fuel subsidies.

As a parallel to the statement, the Central Government has accelerated approval of local transport construction projects across the country.

So far, 28 cities have had their rail transit development programs approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. According to those programs, 2,500 km of subways will be built between 2010 and 2015.

Beijing now has 442 km of subway lines, the longest in China. According to the Beijing Commission of Transport, the length will reach 465 km at the end of this year.

Duan Liren, a transport expert from the Chang'an University in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, applauds local governments' decision to develop rail transit to further promote public transportation." I have been in many cities worldwide, and most of the cities that cope with road congestion well have developed rail transit systems," he said.

Duan also suggested that a variety of public transport methods, including buses and trams, should be developed to further provide convenience for commuters.

According to the Beijing Commission of Transport, the city is planning to further develop its public transport network in a bid to realize the goal of having 50 percent of the city's residents choosing public transportation options.

In 2012, more than 20 million daily journeys were made by public transport in Beijing, and 44 percent of commuters used public transportation.

According to the commission, 63 bicycle-sharing stations in areas with high traffic flow in Beijing, with 2,000 bicycles available at racks, will be put into use in June, aimed at providing a green and low-carbon transport alternative that will help ease pressure on the road. The bicycles are free to use for the first hour and then cost just 1 yuan ($0.16) per hour. The maximum cost for renting a bike for a day is 10 yuan ($1.61), and residents can rent one for up to three days by swiping the same transit cards used on subways and buses.

Beijing's bicycle-sharing program is planned to have 1,000 stations and 50,000 bicycles in 2015.

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