According to the news on the official website of the Ministry of Transport on December 12, 2022, the Ministry of Transport issued the Circular on Organizing the Construction of the Third Batch of Demonstration Counties for Integrated Urban and Rural Transportation Development.

It is specified that the third batch of demonstration counties for integrated urban and rural transportation development should establish and improve the collaborative mechanism for integrated urban and rural transportation development, refine development policies, and continuously promote the integrated construction of urban and rural transportation infrastructure, passenger services, as well as freight and logistics services. Considering local conditions, counties can choose one or more themes such as the transformation of rural passenger transportation into bus services, the integration of rural passenger, freight, and postal services, the integration of urban and rural passenger transportation with tourism, and the digitalization of rural transportation services to develop distinctive features in their respective regions.

(1) The Transformation of Rural Passenger Transportation into Bus Services. Urban bus lines will be extended to rural areas while rural passenger lines transformed into bus services. The service frequency will be increased with more standardized operation. In regions with the proper conditions, bus services covering the whole region could be provided.

(2) The Integration of Rural Passenger, Freight, and Postal Services. A “one-stop multi-functional” system for rural passenger, freight, and postal service stations will be constructed through establishing and improving coordination mechanisms among transportation, postal, supply and marketing, commerce, and other departments. In this way, a “multi-purpose network” for rural passenger, freight, and postal services will be created to innovate integrated rural passenger, freight, and postal development models, and promote the intensive development of rural transportation.

(3) The Integration of Urban and Rural Passenger Transportation with Tourism The construction of rural tourism roads will be enhanced through expanding the tourism distribution and service functions of urban and rural passenger transport stations according to local conditions. The tourism passenger transport network will be improved through optimizing the layout and functions of stops at tourist destinations. The supply of tourism passenger transport services will be increased to strengthen the capacity of urban and rural passenger transport services for rural tourism.

(4) The Digitalization of Rural Transportation Services Through establishing a comprehensive information service platform for rural transportation and strengthening information sharing for rural passenger transport, logistics, postal services, and express delivery, the level of digitalization of rural transportation services will be improved to facilitate people’s travel and freight logistics.