Ambulance refers to a specialised motor vehicle purpose-built for emergency medical services and public health medical rescue, primarily deployed to transport sick and injured individuals. An ambulance features a driver's cabin, a dedicated medical compartment, two-way radio communications equipment, as well as essential resuscitation, epidemic prevention, or patient transfer gear. Serving as a core asset within the pre-hospital emergency care system, it undertakes vital functions including on-scene treatment, in-transit emergency care, and continuous patient monitoring, acting as a critical lifeline connecting incident scenes to hospitals.
The concept of the ambulance dates back to late 18th-century France. To treat wounded soldiers directly on the battlefield, Napoleon deployed horse-drawn carriages stocked with emergency medical supplies and medication; these four-wheeled wagons were termed "ambulances". In 1869, Bellevue Hospital in New York, USA, introduced the first ambulance service for routine civilian emergency response.
Following the invention of the automobile in 1886, the French pioneered the conversion of motor vehicles into ambulances. In 1895, French automaker Panhard-Levassor built an ambulance powered by a Daimler engine featuring a red cross on its doors, widely recognised as the world's first motorised ambulance. Driven by the widespread adoption of internal combustion engines and the two World Wars, ambulances progressively evolved from basic transport vehicles into fully equipped "mobile emergency departments" fitted with specialised emergency medical equipment.
Under the "Health Industry Standard of the People's Republic of China — Ambulance" (WS/T 292—2008), ambulances are categorised into four types based on operational purpose:
Patient Transport Ambulance (Type A): Designed and equipped for basic treatment, observation, and transfer of non-critical patients; fitted with basic first-aid medical equipment and medication, suitable for transferring patients in stable condition.
Emergency Monitoring Ambulance (Type B): Designed and equipped for treating, monitoring, and transferring critically ill patients; fitted with advanced resuscitation and life-support gear, ECG monitor-defibrillators, and ventilators, capable of delivering critical emergency care on-scene or en route.
Protective Monitoring Ambulance (Type C): Also known as a negative pressure ambulance, configured to treat, monitor, and transport patients with infectious diseases; features a negative pressure isolation system to minimise the risk of cross-infection among medical crew.
Special-Purpose Ambulance (Type D): Designed and equipped for specialised operations, including public health emergency command vehicles, disease control vehicles, and blood transport units.
In regulatory and operational practice, ambulances are broadly divided into two main categories: pre-hospital emergency ambulances and non-pre-hospital emergency ambulances. Pre-hospital emergency ambulances are operated exclusively by licensed pre-hospital emergency medical institutions for on-scene rescue and emergency transit; non-pre-hospital emergency ambulances cover patient escort transfers, hospital internal service, vaccine cold-chain logistics, and blood transport.
Classified as special-purpose vehicles, ambulances are subject to stringent regulatory oversight. In accordance with the Road Traffic Safety Law and local administrative guidelines, the procurement and deployment of ambulances must be vetted and approved by healthcare authorities. Vehicle liveries, beacon lights, and sirens must strictly comply with national standards, and leasing, loaning, illegal affiliation, or unauthorised diversion for other purposes are strictly prohibited.
In October 2025, six government authorities, including the National Health Commission, jointly launched a nationwide one-year enforcement campaign targeting illegal ambulances. The operation focuses on clamping down on unlicensed "pirate ambulances", establishing full vehicle traceability via a national dynamic database, and mandating QR codes displayed on both vehicle flanks so the public can scan to verify operating entities and lodge reports or complaints.
Regarding fleet allocation standards, pre-hospital emergency ambulances are planned at a minimum ratio of 1 vehicle per 30,000 permanent residents, with negative pressure ambulances accounting for no less than 40% of the fleet. Ambulances are generally decommissioned from frontline pre-hospital emergency duties upon reaching 500,000 kilometres of mileage or 8 years of service.
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