A police officer direct traffic near a port in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 17, 2024. Qiongzhou Strait witnessed a peak of travel rush of returning passengers on Feb. 17, the last day of the Spring Festival holiday. Various actions were taken by local authorities to ensure passengers to cross the strait in an orderly manner including organizing personnel to maintain the queuing order, providing emergency medicines, drinking water and other supplies to drivers and tourists. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

Self-driving trips are projected to dominate the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, expected to reach 7.2 billion trips and make up approximately 80 percent of all cross-regional journeys, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.

The 2025 Spring Festival travel rush is expected to reach 9 billion cross-regional trips, with railway and civil aviation passenger volumes anticipated to surpass 510 million and 90 million trips, respectively, both setting new historical highs. 

The surge in self-driving trips during the travel rush is fuelled by a rapid increase in car ownership across China. As of June 2024, China had 440 million registered motor vehicles, including 345 million fuel vehicles and 24.72 million NEVs. The number of licensed drivers reached 532 million, with 496 million holding car licenses, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, behind the growing self-driving trips is the significant improvement in transport infrastructure. China's expressway network now spans 190,000 kilometers, while rural roads are playing a critical role in supporting rural revitalization. In 2024, about 160,000 kilometers of rural roads are expected to have been newly built or upgraded, bringing the total length to 4.6 million kilometers. Paved roads now connect 105,000 villages, weaving through scenic landscapes and supporting better lives for rural residents, according to a CCTV report.

China's integrated transport network now covers 6 million kilometers, with major projects like the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link completed in 2024. In 2024, 50,000 kilometers of new roads were added, including over 8,000 kilometers of expressways. Highway traffic recorded 684.1 million trips, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounting for 15.9 percent, underscoring the rapid growth in EV adoption, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on December 27, 2024.

Global Times