The planning of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system of Guangzhou was incepted in 2005, and was officially launched into operation on Feb 10, 2010. Thanks to its extensive applicability, the BRT system of Guangzhou won the “Lighthouse Award” under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The BRT system of Guangzhou starts at Tianhe Sports Center in its west and extends eastwards to Xiayuan of Huangpu district, spanning over 22.9 kilometers in length and covering 26 pairs of BRT stations. The BRT system is connected to Metro Line 3 and Metro Line 5. Furthermore, 113 bicycle stations are installed along the BRT lines, which provide the citizens of Guangzhou with over 5,000 publicly-owned bicycles. In this way, a multi-layer public transport network took shape, which consists of metro lines, BRT lines and a bicycle slow-motion system.

As it stands today, a total of 958 buses are in operation along the 31 BRT lines of Guangzhou, with the average operational speed reaching 23 kilometers per hour, 84 percent faster than that prior to the launch of the BRT system. Carrying 850,000 passengers every day, the BRT system of Guangzhou boasts a one-way passenger volume that is three times larger than that of its counterparts in other Asian countries and regions. Besides the BRT systems in South America, the BRT system in Guangzhou is one that can be placed on parity with metro systems in terms of speed and efficiency.