WHY BUS NO 375 WAS CALLED AS GHOST BUS OF BEIJING(CHINA)?

There are quite a few URBAN LEGENDS very famous and talked about in Mainland China. But the one to top them all is the mysterious disappearance of Bus no. 375(also in some stories referred to as Bus n. 302). This is one of the top stories that has surfaced on almost all the social networks within China and thrilling stories shared during 1995. Remember, this is the time internet was newly launched in China.

I got to know about this story from not just one but many locals here on the mainland. There are many stories written about this legend that surfaced on the internet, but most of them were initially written in Mandarin. Then it was mirror translated into English, and as you might be aware most of the mirror translation does not translate the details completely. So here we go with the details that I can share as an Indian residing in China; I know the local Chinese language and its accurate translation.

So let, start now.

The Midnight Bus 375/302, also known as the last Bus To Fragrant Hills, is a scary Chinese urban legend about a night bus and its horrific disappearance. Many Chinese still believe it is supposed to be a true incident and not just a fictional story. The incident happened on the night of 14th November 1995 in Beijing, China.

Bus No. 375/302 was on its usual route accompanied by a few passengers, and the bus was managed by a state-local transport. On the bus were its regular driver and a female bus conductor. Initially, all the buses in China were accompanied by a bus conductor to cut/give tickets to its passengers.
Passengers boarded and unboarded the bus as per regular time, and at one point, there was only an older woman (approx 55-60 years old) sitting in the middle seats of the bus and exactly behind her was a young man in his early 20s (who looked very tired and he was sitting with his eyes closed, taking some rest). Also in the bus was a young couple in their mid-20s sitting near the end/exit gates of the bus. 

While on its way, the conductor noticed 2 men standing far (but not at the usual bus stop). The bus station was still a few minutes ahead. The conductor said to the driver that few people are standing there and they must help them considering it's the last late-night bus and there will be no transportation available after this point. But the bus driver disagreed as they were not waiting at the bus station but on the side of the road. The bus driver feared that they could be robbers and might attack them. But after some time, due to human nature and prompting by the bus conductor and the young couple sitting in the bus, the bus driver stopped the bus just in front of the men. As it was dark and not too much light either outside or insider the bus, there was not much to see and discuss the men standing outside the bus. But once they boarded the bus, everyone realized it was not 2 but 3 people. The two men were supporting a third man in the between and holding him up by his shoulders. The person in the middle had his face covered with very long hair, and the faces of the other two men were completely white, and all these men were dressed as per Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) robes.

Naturally, passengers on the bus were a bit uneasy with the whole situation. Still, the conductor calmed everybody by telling them they were likely to stage actors who had no time to change costumes before leaving work and might have been partying after work and, hence, drunk. These men did not talk with anyone on the bus. At the next stop, the young couple got off the bus as it was their scheduled destination. Now the bus has only seven people. The bus conductor, the Driver, the old lady, the young man(still sleeping), and the 3 Mysterious people. After a while, the old lady starting shouting and cursing the young man, stating that he has stolen her purse and pretending to sleep. The young man was terrified to get such accusations, and both were soon involved in an argument. The lady conductor tried to calm them down, and due to so much shouting, the bus conductor was furious. The lady shouted to the driver and said that he must stop the bus immediately as she knows the police station nearby. She will take the young man to the police for interrogation, the young man was furious, and he also said he has nothing to hide from the police. He has no issues going to the police, but he said he is aware the police station is not very near, and they would have to walk a mile to reach there. But as the old lady was very angry and creating a big scene, the bus driver stopped the bus, and the lady got off with the young man. Once they got off the bus, the young man again tried to explain to her that if she wants, she can check him he belongs to a good family and can never get involved in such pity crimes. The lady immediately holds the young boy's hand and said, calm down, my son. You are like my younger son, and I know you did not rob me; in fact, you should thank me as I saved your life.

The young man was now confused as he wondered why the old lady had suddenly changed, and he thought she was mentally ill. The old lady then told the young boy that when the young couple got off the bus, she had just turned behind, and coincidently, there was little wind that comes through the window. The wind coming in from the window raised their robes, and she saw they didn't have feet. The young man did not believe this, but they went to the police station to report the issue. The police did not take this matter seriously, but the next day there was another police complaint filed in a different police station which was few miles away from this station where the old lady and the young man had visited. There was a police briefing done that Bus no. 375 went missing and did not reach its scheduled last stop last night and the owners of the bus filed a missing complaint as per their procedure. This is the time the policy realized about the old lady young man. They traced them to know their story in detail.

After many search operations, the bus was eventually recovered in a reservoir miles away from its final destination at Fragrant Hills. Inside, three badly decomposed bodies were the driver, the conductor, and one unidentified body with long untidy hair. The story says that the Bus did not have sufficient to travel such a long distance of about 100 km. Normally, the state-controlled buses have scheduled places for refueling, and they get a limited amount of fuel only as per their traveling route. It is also further said that police found that the gas tank was filled with blood instead of petrol just to check if the bus had additional fuel for such travel. 


Notable points of different stories

• The bus numbers vary greatly – commonly cited routes are 302, 330, and 375. 

• In some versions, it is an older man that accuses the young man of stealing his wallet.

• Some versions also stated the bus was never located and till date sometimes/someone can see bus no. 375 on the route.
• Some stories go a little further, which states, the old lady and young man were later interviewed by the local media, but after some time, both of them went missing.