Venezuela Upgrades Transport System with New Chinese Taxis, Bus Factory

Venezuela's efforts to upgrade its massive transport system received a boost with the delivery of more than 2,000 Chinese-made Chery cars on Thursday, Sept. 24, while a Chinese bus factory started its initial operation in the Latin American country, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Venezuelan Ground Transport Minister Jose Luis Bernardo said that the 2,100 Chery cars that arrived in the northern port of Puerto Cabello are part of the 20,000 cars for Venezuelan taxi drivers that China will provide under a bilateral agreement.

According to the report, the vehicles came from Shanghai and under the government plan called "Transportation Mission," the cars will be handed over in the next few weeks. The first 400 taxis were received last month, the report added.

In addition, Haiman El Troudi, director of the "Transportation Mission," announced that a bus factory run by Chinese automaker Yutong in the state of Yaracuy has begun its initial operation on Sept. 24. The factory's working staff received training in China.

The bus factory will hold its official inauguration next month. The facilities of the factory include two administrative buildings, a parking lot and a test ramp for buses.

"Workers trained in China start trial operations at the Yutong bus plant," El Troudi said in his Twitter account, with two posted pictures.

The report said that the factory can assemble 3,500 units in three categories every year to meet Venezuela's need as well as the needs of Yutong's other clients in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"The total investment in this plant along with our Yutong partners has been around 675 million dollars and it will generate 1,650 jobs for the area," El Troudi said.

Yutong has exported round 5,000 buses to Venezuela over the past 36 months to serve in 80 urban routes and over two million people each day.