THE city government is planning to develop Shenzhen into a barrier-free city by improving accessibility by 2020, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

During a government meeting held at the Civic Center on Tuesday, Huang Min, a vice mayor of Shenzhen, said the living environment for disabled persons in Shenzhen has been improved a lot.

However, he said the city still faces many challenges in promoting the well-being of disabled people.

The city will replace its bus fleet with barrier-free buses for the physically challenged and people with special needs. The city government will also set aside a subsidy for the operators of traditional taxis and app-based taxis to encourage them to provide barrier-free services, the report said.

In addition, facelifts will be conducted in phases on the city’s earliest Metro stations that don’t have barrier-free facilities, according to the report.

Huang urged the city government to enact practical measures to improve the living quality, employment and rehabilitation services for the disabled in Shenzhen.

According to the report, the city will be made into the first fully barrier-free city in China during the 13th Five-Year Plan period between 2016 and 2020.

(Zhang Yang)