Man on the Street is a regular series where we talk to someone doing an everyday job, in order to gain insight into the lives of normal Chinese people.
With Shenzhen’s extra-long bus routes, a machine that charges a flat rate fare just doesn’t cut it: two stops shouldn’t cost the same as twenty.
Enter the bus attendant, or chengwuyuan. Armed with handheld card scanners and bundles of color-coded receipts, the (mostly) women in uniform thread their way through packed buses, asking customers for their destinations and charging them based on route length.
According to attendant Wang Jun, in addition to charging fares, she also assists the elderly and children. We’ve seen her words proven true before, when a frail-looking older man boarded a crowded bus and the chengwuyuan convinced a passenger to give up her seat.
In some ways, it’s a grueling job: one attendant says she averages “a dozen or so hours” each shift. However, that’s balanced by a flexible workweek that allows up to every other day off.
When we ask Wang how she handles the rush hour crowd or the dawn-to-dusk shifts, she simply replies that she’s “used to it.” After learning the ropes, there’s “not much pressure.” Wang comes from the city of Yongzhou, in Hunan, and has lived in Shenzhen for “many years,” she tells us with a laugh. Overall, she likes her job here.
On a different bus, a chengwuyuan smiles as she explains why she loves being an attendant. Apparently it combines two of her main interests: the service industry and riding buses.
She likes the social aspect of the job. Chengwuyuan are assigned a different route each shift, allowing them to meet many attendants and drivers. She also encounters an estimated 1,000 customers a day.
Despite her enthusiasm, she admits that there are downsides. For one, due to limited break times, attendants soon learn not to drink too much water during shifts. On a more serious note, unruly passengers can cause trouble for attendants.
Some try to avoid paying their fares, she tells us. When they’re discovered, they may direct their anger at the attendant. Once, a man who stayed onboard well past his stop blew up at her, telling her: “You’re sick.”
Considering the difficulties, would she switch jobs if given the chance?
“I would continue [this job] because I like it,” she tells us. A consummate professional, she gives us a smile and waves as we get off at our stop.
THE DIRTY DETAILS
Monthly salary: RMB2,500
Days per week: 3-4
Hours per day: 12
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