Passengers in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, will be able to use the metro and selected bus services free of charge for 17 consecutive days during the upcoming Spring Festival travel period, local authorities announced on Sunday.

Free travel will be available from Feb 15 to March 3, covering the period from the 28th day of the 12th lunar month to the Lantern Festival, according to a notice released on the WeChat official account of the Fuzhou road transport development center.

During this time, all metro lines in Fuzhou, including Lines 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and the Binhai express, will be free to use. In addition, bus routes within the city's six central districts that normally charge a flat fare of 2 yuan (about $0.29) or less will also operate free of charge.

Metro station gates across the network will remain open throughout the period, allowing passengers to enter and exit without purchasing tickets or scanning travel codes after the security checks.

On eligible bus routes, onboard electronic payment systems will be switched off, with notices displayed to inform passengers of free rides, the notice added.

For passengers holding valid combined metro and bus passes, the validity will be automatically extended by the number of days covered by the free-travel policy, with no action required from users.