BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 660 million people are expected to travel during the week-long National Day holiday starting Sept. 30, an increase of 8.8 percent from the same period last year, according to an official estimate.
He Jianzhong, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, said Thursday that China's railways, highways and airlines will serve a daily average of 82.5 million travelers during the holiday, which lasts from Oct. 1 to 7.
The first and last days of the holiday will be especially busy, with many people leaving and returning. However, He forecast that the peak travel day is expected to fall on Sept. 30, adding that he expects 86 million people to travel that day.
He said more than 1.6 million people will travel by ship each day during the holiday.
Minibuses will be exempt from road tolls during the holiday, which may contribute to a sharp increase in travelers, especially those travelling via private car, said the spokesman.
He said that more than 840,000 buses with 20 million seats will be operating during the National Day holiday, also dubbed the "Golden Week."
Meanwhile, 21,000 ships with nearly 900,000 seats will be operating at full steam.
He urged inter-city bus drivers to strictly abide by established regulations, including resting every four hours while driving during the day time, not overloading vehicles and driving within posted speed limits.
The Ministry of Railways has made great efforts to make traveling easier, said the spokesman, noting that all train tickets can be booked online or by a telephone hotline.
Traveling by railway is the primary transportation mode for Chinese travelers.
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