Beijing is to run services on 28 special bus routes for the people attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8, the local traffic authority said on Friday.

The buses will run non-stop from 28 designated stations across the city to the Olympic Green Park, where passengers can disembark at a stop a few minutes walk fro, the National Stadium, according to Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications.

After the show, the buses will carry passengers to transfer stops for seven subway lines running round the clock and 100 standby bus routes.

The 28 services are reserved for and free to people holding opening ceremony tickets, and staff and volunteers with valid certificates.

Some existing bus routes will detour or suspend operations on the day to ensure traffic runs smoothly around the stadium.

Thirty-four additional bus routes will operate, with some running around the clock, until September 20 to make up for the relative shortage of public transport around Olympic sports venues.

Beijing has about 350 existing bus routes. The public transport system will be able to move 21.1 million passengers daily during the Olympics and Paralymics.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2008)