The first micro-circulation bus route in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area began operating on April 10 at the Dishui Lake IC Innovation Harbor sci-tech innovation community.

The DZ37 line spans 5.5 kilometers, offering short-distance, frequent and fast-turnover services to better connect residential areas with key destinations within the community.

The DZ37 line micro-circulation bus. [Photo/Xinmin Evening News]

As one of the four major sci-tech innovation communities in Lin-gang, the Dishui Lake IC Innovation Harbor has seen steady population growth and rapid clustering of innovation resources in recent years. It is now home to 21 headquarters enterprises, 12 research institutes and universities, and four testing and pilot platforms, with increasingly integrated residential and workplace functions and rising daily travel demand.

During routine field visits, public transport service staff found that there was high demand among residents for "last-mile" travel, with short-distance trips accounting for more than 80 percent of daily travel needs. However, existing bus routes mainly serve external connections, leaving residents to deal with long walks, inconvenient detours and high taxi costs.

In response, service staff relayed residents' needs to the bus team, which conducted on-site surveys and data analysis to design an optimized loop route connecting residential areas with major destinations such as the Lingang Center.

The operations control center monitors passenger flow and vehicle conditions in real time, adjusting dispatch intervals to 20 minutes during peak hours and 25–30 minutes during off-peak periods.