Beijing will ban half of all private vehicles and 80 percent of civil servants' work transports from the city's roads if an air-quality red alert is issued, the capital's Information Office said on October 22.

Private vehicles will be barred from using the roads, based on odd and even license plate numbers, when pollution is predicted to linger in the city for more than three days.

Public transport, including buses and subway trains, will extend their service by 30 minutes and increase the number of backup vehicles and trains on days of persistent pollution in order to meet increased demand.

The emergency plan, based on the experiences of foreign countries, has a warning system comprising blue, yellow, orange and red alerts. Red alert will take effect when the air-quality index is forecasted to be above 300 for three consecutive days, the office said.

Classes at kindergarten through to middle school will be suspended when air quality is particularly low to protect students' health, with 24-hours notice given before emergency measures are put in place.