Iran's first bus rally gets under way

Participants in Iran's first city bus rally set off from the Number 2 Sports Complex of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company with dozens of vehicles of various makes.

The rally, with 54 buses of different ages, started Friday in the Iranian capital. Each bus has two drivers — chief and assistant. They are accompanied by their wives, who act as navigators.

The rally is scheduled to take 5 days, with the pack covering some 1,500 km (932 miles) while going through the scenic provinces of Qazvin, Gilan, Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, before heading back through Qazvin and pulling in in Tehran on April 14.

The managing director of the municipality-owned Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Hussein Bizhani said the event has brought together the drivers with good safety records and aims to nurture traffic safety culture among Iranian motorists. The move is a welcome effort, given the country's catastrophic rate of traffic accidents.

He added that the country's police force, plus medical teams from the Red Crescent Society and officials from the five en route provinces are participating with the organizers of the event.

He noted the bus rally will hopefully make its way into neighboring countries in near future.