ADORNED with red ribbons on the nose and paper cuttings of auspicious Chinese characters on the windows, a public electric bus was transformed into a wedding bus, cutting a dashing figure on the road. “The wedding bus is spacious enough to accommodate my family and friends. We sat together and had a jolly time singing and playing games along the way,” said the newlywed Zhang Qingqing, who rented a bus for her wedding day transport in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province. In China, it has been a common practice for couples to hire a fleet of some 10 sedans on their big day to transport them and their guests to the wedding venue. “It would cost a lot, and my family and friends have to be scattered in different cars, where it is easy to feel bored and lonely,” said Zhang. Before the wedding, Zhang found out through a social media platform that hiring a wedding bus had been in vogue among many young newlyweds. The photos of various novel, unique, and trendy wedding buses shared by netizens captured Zhang’s heart instantly. “It resonates with our taste as young people. Our parents and friends all liked our ideas,” said Wang Yu’an, Zhang’s husband. The couple soon booked a wedding bus through the wedding bus hire service provider, Jiangxi Nanchang Public Transportation Group Co. Ltd. On the eve of their wedding day, the couple arrived at the parking lot where the bus was parked. It was decorated with ribbons, paper cuttings and balloons. Everyone felt involved, the couple said. According to Jiangxi Nanchang Public Transportation Group, since the launch of the wedding bus hire service in March last year, the company has seen approximately 100 couples hiring public buses for their weddings, and almost all of them are young people born after 1995. Xu Rong, assistant to the general manager of Jiangxi Nanchang Public Transportation Group, said when the buses are hired, bus drivers will be provided, while the bus route can be customized according to the couple’s preferences. The wedding bus hire services are also available in multiple cities in the provinces like Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong. The bus rental prices range from several hundred to thousands of yuan per vehicle per day, based on the distance traveled and the length of time the bus is occupied. Ma Yuxuan and Cai Yang, a newlywed couple from Qingdao City, East China’s Shandong Province, decked their hired wedding bus with festive decorations and placed their wedding photos and creative stickers both inside and outside. “This is a stylish and novel wedding bus that is exclusive to us,” said Cai, adding that some of their friends were drawn in by the cheerful atmosphere and have also considered hiring buses on their big day. Recalling her wedding day, Tang Shanqing, a newlywed from Suqian City in Jiangsu Province, cannot stop reminiscing about her splendid wedding bus experience. “Passers-by took photos of us, other drivers rolled down the windows to greet us, and we gave our wedding candies to children after school. I felt like the people in the whole city witnessed and shared our happiness,” she said. Tang noted that instead of hiring sedans, using a public bus as the wedding vehicle is environmentally friendly, which aligns with the young people’s values and lifestyle. (Xinhua) | 