WUHAN — Before sunrise, more than a dozen farmers with baskets and bags filled with fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables gather at suburban Hezhan in Wuhan, Hubei province, waiting for a special bus.

"People like eating fresh lotus seeds, so we pick them at around 3 am," said Tu Jixing, adding that he can earn more than 300 yuan ($43) a day by selling about 10 kilograms of lotus seeds.

Tu is one of many passengers along the route who catch the bus every morning, carrying fresh food including peppers, tomatoes, fish and eggs.

By taking the dedicated bus, farmers are able to sell their products in a large wholesale market in an urban area of the city, more than 40 km from Hezhan, the departure point of the route. The bus fare is 5 yuan for a single trip.

"It's much more convenient now, and it doesn't cost much for a round trip," Tu said.

Tu recalled that in the past, various areas around his village were not covered by public transport. Most people didn't want to rent vehicles or call a taxi to transport vegetables, as the cost was too high. So they would feed the surplus vegetables to livestock.

This attracted the attention of the local public transportation company, which established a new bus route at the end of 2020 to meet villagers' needs.

The company arranged staff to provide assistance at the stations where vegetable farmers gathered, and to clean the stains from soil, water and vegetables, so that other passengers would not be affected.

Hu Simin, a driver on the dedicated route, said it has become an important mode of transport for people living in about 30 surrounding villages.

"On average, over 100 villagers a day take the bus line to the urban area to sell vegetables," Hu said.

Hu has gradually become familiar with the farmers. Before the bus departs early in the morning, he always helps the elderly villagers move their goods, and sometimes farmers give him a handful of vegetables as a gift.

Some passengers have also become friends with each other. After selling their vegetables, they often hang out together in the urban area, then take the bus home and have a rest.

In China, many regions have opened bus routes to the suburbs in recent years, making it more convenient for farmers to commute between remote villages and urban areas, and making it easier for residents to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Xinhua