The ‘Mongolian Union for Donations and Aid’ is a non-governmental organization which has been providing a free bus service for schoolchildren who live in those districts of Ulaanbaatar which suffer from the most intense air-pollution. The bus runs between Zuun Salaa and Sapporo (a place in UB not Hokkaido) from 06.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. until 29 December.

According to the organisers, the bus has transported a total of 300 children on 10 trips yesterday (20 December). The cost of the free service, which is being covered by the NGO, is estimated at MNT 2 million.

The ger (yurt) districts experience the highest levels of air pollution in Ulaanbaatar during the winter. More than half the residents of the capital – over 790,000 people – live in these shanty towns and mainly burn cheap coal and wood to stay warm. The smoke from the ger districts accounts for over 80% of the pollution of the Mongolian capital.