The bus blast that killed 26 people in Taiwan urged the Chinese government to develop an electronic bus with more security features. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Municipal Commission in Guangdong developed a new electric bus that will enable passengers to evacuate quickly and safely during emergencies. The commission will be running initial tests before they release the units to the public.
Zhao Jiantong, the manager of the information office of the Guangzhou electrical bus company, said that there are eight emergency buttons. One button is for the driver while the remaining seven are located near emergency windows.
These safety windows are larger than the other bus windows. These will open at the push of the emergency buttons and can be used by the passengers to escape.
"In the case of explosion or fire, people can escape through nine exits," Zhao said.
During emergency cases, the electric sign on the bus can be changed to "SOS" to signify that the bus is in danger. A black box is also installed to send a signal to the control center and ask for immediate action.
The government developed this vehicle with more security features to avoid a repeat of the Taiwan bus blast where 26 individuals were killed. There were 24 mainland tourists on board.
The tourists were on the highway in Liaoning Province when the bus hit a road barrier on July 19. Five bottles filled with gasoline were also found at the scene of the explosion.
Taiwanese authorities are still investigating the reason why the bottles were loaded on the bus.
During the investigation, authorities found bodies near the emergency exit. They concluded that the passengers wanted to escape but the door was already jammed.
The door by the driver's side was also shut and failed to open.
Authorities are puzzled over the reasons for the doors being shut and why the bus still ran for a kilometer and a half after the explosion.
After the incident, concerns from the public were raised over the safety of public transportation.
