China’s public bus companies look to curb losses with pet rides, postal delivery

With public bus companies across China struggling to keep the wheels going round and round amid rising financial pressures and declining ridership, some are embracing innovative and unorthodox measures – such as repurposing their idle fleet for delivery services, or allowing pets as passengers.

Zhengzhou Public Transport Group, which serves the capital city of Henan province, is among the latest to adopt an emerging “bus-plus-logistics” business model, having announced a partnership with courier giant SF Express earlier this month.

The two companies will explore leveraging idle bus capacity, such as during off-peak hours or when vehicles are unused out at night, to fulfil urgent intracity deliveries, according to a statement by SF Express.

The initiative comes as the Zhengzhou Public Transport Group faces mounting financial woes. In 2024, its year-on-year revenue fell by 8.38 per cent, while its operating losses deepened by 286 per cent – from 3.03 million yuan in 2023 to 11.7 million in 2024 – according to financial data provider Wind.

And it is not the only bus company under financial strain. Bus ridership has been decreasing across China in recent years, driven by a shift towards alternatives such as undergrounds, bike-sharing and ride-hailing services.

Official data showed that China’s public bus and trolleybus passenger volume stood at 38.67 billion in 2024. That was only slightly more than half of all passenger trips recorded in 2019 – a level that had already been on the decline.