The first double-decker bus line on Shanghai's West Bund waterfront will be launched soon in response to demand from an increasing number of office workers and tourists.

The popular riverside region along the Huangpu River now boasts a large number of companies, mainly dealing with artificial intelligence and art. Residents and tourists are also flocking to the waterfront in downtown Xuhui District for its public riverside space and over a dozen of art galleries and museums.

The new bus lines will connect Metro stations, office buildings and art venues for the convenience of these visitors, the Xuhui government announced on Wednesday.

The initial two lines operated by the city's double-decker tour buses have been announced. One line will mainly shuttle office workers, while the other will operate as a sightseeing line.

The measure is among the first batch of life-convenient projects launched by the West Bund Coordination Association, jointly established by government bodies and key companies operating in the region on Wednesday.

The founding members include the management committee of the waterfront, West Bund Group, the subdistricts and towns on the riverside as well as Shanghai AI Laboratory, Tencent, Alibaba, Vanke, International Media Port and China Eastern Investment Co.

The association will host regular meetings among members to share resources and solve problems. The target is to jointly develop the West Bund into an "outstanding waterfront with high-quality development, life and governance," an official of the association said.

A flagship service station, for instance, was unveiled on Wednesday at the Shanghai AI Tower to organize events and offer talent services for companies based on the waterfront.

Apart from the bus line, the association will spare additional riverside apartments to accommodate top professionals, both from home and abroad.

The members will also host additional art events, such as the artwork auction month and fashion week, to attract art lovers.

A new round of planning on the West Bund's space, culture, art, tourist, commercial and operation will be jointly launched by the members to make the riverside region a top tourist attraction on par with Xujiahui and the Bund, according to the association.

The riverside area of Xuhui, featuring an 11.4-kilometer shoreline along the Huangpu River, reflects the city's early industrial heritage, once encompassing a coal wharf, a cement factory, several giant fuel tanks and an aircraft hangar.

They have been converted into popular cultural venues such as the Long Museum, the West Bund Art Center and Tank Shanghai art park. Nearly 100 cultural events and exhibitions are organized there every year.

The area aims to become the "AI Valley" of Shanghai by attracting some of the world's top scientists and companies working in AI. Leading companies in the AI sector from home and abroad – including Microsoft Research Asia, Huawei and Alibaba, and startups United Imaging and Yitu – have offices in the AI Tower.