As of Feb 21, Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) had witnessed a total of 3,826 enterprises resuming work and production, up 1,423 from the previous month. 

Among them are 748 industrial enterprises above designated size and 441 foreign-funded enterprises.

Also under construction are the Tianjin Juilliard School in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), and a diamond wire cutting plant creating ultrathin monocrystalline silicon for high-efficiency solar cells with an annual output of 10GW, and its supporting projects, in the Binhai High-tech Zone.

To ensure safe transportation for employees amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Binhai has chartered 150 buses, opening up a channel for employees from outside Tianjin to return to work in groups. 

11 buses from Jinfeng Passenger Transportation Co. Ltd recently set out from TBNA and ran to and from Fengnan, Fenrun and Luannan in Tangshan City, Hebei Province.

On one day, the buses transport about 260 employees from nearby cities in Hebei province to the Great Wall Apartment. These employees will return to work after a 14-day home-based quarantine in the apartment.

“A lot of our employees live in the countryside and they used to carpool with each other or take public transport for return trips,” said a worker with Great Wall Motor company. “This year, with charter buses, they can travel directly from home to the apartment and return to work sooner, which is widely welcomed by employees.”

Li Wenqi, general manager of Jinfeng Passenger Transportation Company in TBNA, said: “After our buses arrived at the designated place, the temperature of the employees would be measured and their information registered before boarding. According to requirements, the bus passenger load factor should be within 50 percent. That means a bus carrying 53 passengers can only ferry up to 26 passengers.” Li added that orders received so far are mainly from companies in the food and pharmaceuticals sectors. 

Disinfection twice a day, good ventilation and controlled passenger numbers are maintained by Jinfeng to ensure the safety of passengers.

The customized buses are enabling the resumption of work and make commuting more convenient amid the epidemic. In response to the demand for charter buses reported through the “application system for charter buses”, the TBNA Transportation Bureau and relevant departments have worked out point-to-point and door-to-door direct transportation plans to ensure the return of key groups of people. 

There are 150 reserved passenger vehicles now in TBNA, and 100 freight vehicles according to local government. During the off-peak return period, the TBNA Transportation Bureau will form a ‘safety management loop’ for transportation enterprises through centralized declaration, strict inspection and isolated transportation in an effort to make every link controllable, safe and efficient.