New-energy buses get in fast lane for promotion

China will speed up measures to promote the use of new-energy buses, according to a joint notice issued by four central government departments.

The notice, issued by ministries including the Ministry of Finance, said the country will prioritize support to products with high qualities and technical standards as it promotes the use of new-energy vehicles in the public transport sector.

It called for relevant government departments to step up quality supervision over producers so that the technical indexes of new-energy buses can meet relevant standards.

Local authorities can continue to provide subsidies to the purchasing of new-energy buses to boost consumption, the notice said.

The development of charging facilities for new-energy buses will also be accelerated, with private capital set to be encouraged into the sector, the notice said, adding that the subsidies to operations of new-energy buses will be replaced by bonuses starting from next year.