Fewer Beijingers use private cars

City's public transport system carried daily average of 20.6m people in 2012

Some 44 percent of people in Beijing rely on public transit to get around the capital, the highest percentage of any city nationwide, according to figures released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

The city's public transport system carried a daily average of 20.6 million passengers in 2012, said Sun Wenjian, spokesman for the commission, helped by hefty ongoing investment.

As efforts continue to reduce traffic congestion on the city's streets and ring roads, Sun also revealed that the percentage of saloon car trips showed a decrease for a second year in a row.

The commission's report highlighted that the city's subway system also continues to expand, with more lines expected to open in coming years to further ease Beijing traffic congestion.

The subway system now has 442 kilometers of lines, making it the longest in China, after officials opened Line 6 and extensions to Lines 8, 9 and 10 on Sunday, extending the network to 261 stations and 36 transit stops.

The trains on the new Line 6 are not only more comfortable, but also longer than older ones and are capable of taking more passengers, said Wu Wenjie, deputy director of the Line 6 project department at the China Railway Tunnel Group.

The line's new eight-carriage trains can carry up to 2,000 passengers, and it is hoped the larger capacity will have a significant effect on reducing traffic congestion on the streets above, he said.