公交车曾是中国人出行的主要交通工具。近年来，由于私家车数量不断增多，城市的交通问题越来越严重。许多城市为了鼓励更多人乘坐公交车出行，一直在努力改善公交车的服务质量。车辆的设施不断更新，车速也有了显著提高。然而，公交车的票价却依然相当低廉。现在，在大多数城市，许多当地老年市民都可以免费乘坐公交车。

<p>　　Buses once served as a major means of transport for Chinese travelers. In recent years, due to the growing number of private cars, traffic problems in cities have become increasingly serious. In order to encourage more people to travel by bus, plenty of cities have been making efforts to improve bus service. Facilities in buses have been constantly upgraded, and the speed has been remarkably increased as well. The bus fare, however, still remains quite cheap. Today, in most cities, a large number of local senior citizens can take a bus for free.</p>