Growth in bus transportation, a popular way to get around in many countries, can be seen as a sort of microcosm of socioeconomic development as people turned to less expensive and more ecological transportation. However, since the 1990s in China, private cars, which symbolize their owner's "the bigger the better" social status and independence, seem to have stolen some of the buses' thunder.

The venerable public bus can trace its origins back to 1820s to the UK and France, where they carried people around on fixed routes. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, in 1949, the vehicles were trendy in an unself-conscious sort of way, because most of them came from overseas, and they were no other major competitors available.

There was the Soviet model bus, popular on the streets of Changchun in the 1950s. [Photo/Xinhua]

In Changchun, the capital Jilin province, the Hungarian or Soviet buses running on the streets in the 1950s could even be called eye-catching. Then, gradually, these foreign vehicles began to fade into history, after being replaced by even bigger Chinese ones. And with the expansion of bus or trolley routes, articulated buses slowly went use to meet the demands of the increasing numbers of passengers, and, as another show of modernity, the double-decker buses of the 1990s.

For the new age, green buses begin hitting the streets of Changchun by the end of 2015, with recharging points available in various spots. [Photo/Xinhua]

Then, there are the subways and more modern taxis that have gained in favor with many people because of their efficiency and far more comfortable and cleaner atmosphere. However, in spite of all this, the public buses has an assured place thanks to its cost, networks with greater access, or in some cases as a good sightseeing tool for tourists. And, at least in Changchun, they just might do something good for the environment, since the city is about to replace its buses with natural-gas-powered ones in an attempt to cut emissions and clear away the pollution.

And who knows, maybe the new-energy buses will spark a bit of trendiness as they did back in the 1950s in Changchun.

Stick around and see.