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Shanghai Bus Service - A practical guide
A typical bus stop with shelters in front of Muen Church near People's Square.
Introduction
Public buses and trolley buses (generally referred to as buses below) may not be the most convenient transport method for foreigners trying to navigate their way around Shanghai. Having some knowledge about the bus service on offer however, will give you an extra transport option when you find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere one day, unable to find a taxi on a rainy day or where the nearest Metro station is located.
Shanghai buses can be extremely crowded during rush hours and some of them are not especially clean. But buses running through busy shopping streets or those connecting major attractions are in an excellent condition and during off-peak hours it is a pleasure to use them. Plus, the bigger windows of a bus will give you a better view of the city than taxis or subways can ever do.
Bus stops
Shanghai's bus stops are generally near intersections, and a stop is usually named after the closest street intersecting the road the bus running on. Generally the stops consist of a black post with plates near its top indicating it's a bus stop. There is a plate for each line the bus serves.
Each plate shows the route number, the bus stop name and the next stop. At the middle of the pole is a triangular box that shows all the stops along the route, fares and the time when the first and the last bus will arrive at the stop. Metro train information is also provided to inform passengers where and how to transfer metro lines. All the information is in Chinese.
Most bus stops have a shelter, which makes it easy to recognize a bus stop. But in the outskirts those without a shelter could be missed because they may be hiding behind roadside trees and telegraph poles.
Fares
Bus fares are inexpensive, compared with subways and taxis. All of the city's buses are equipped with air conditioners. They charge a flat rate of 2 yuan (31.34 US cents). Most buses running on downtown streets are self-service ones with no conductors. Some buses running long routes, commuting from the downtown to suburbs, may charge over 2 yuan depending on how far you go.
Transport card holders will receive a 1 yuan (15.65 US cents) discount on their two-yuan fare if they take a second trip on any of the routes involved in the discount scheme within 120 minutes of boarding the first bus or any of the metro lines.
Not every bus route in Shanghai takes part in the discount scheme. It excludes Shanghai Big Bus No. 1, airport buses and community shuttle buses in Minhang, Songjiang, Baoshan and Jinshan districts.
Getting on and off
Many Shanghai buses have no conductors. You should get on at the front door and put the bus fare into a moneybox beside the driver. The back door is for getting off.
It's advisable to keep some loose change for riding on the no-conductor buses. The boxes do not provide change and the drivers are not allowed to handle cash. If you want to test your Chinese and courage, you can throw in a 10-yuan bill and ask the driver to allow you to collect other passengers' money as your change.
You will see several yellow seats on each bus. They are reserved for senior citizens, small children, the sick, disabled, pregnant women and anyone carrying a baby. The conductor or driver may ask people to give up those seats.
Major bus routes
The city has nearly 1,000 bus lines, but only a few passing through the downtown and connecting the city's shopping streets or landmarks are useful to foreigners. Here follows a list of useful buses that connect well-known areas.
No. 20: These buses run from 5am to 11:15pm. Major attractions along the route include the Bund, People's Square, W. Nanjing Road, Jing'an Temple and Zhongshan Park.
No. 925B: These buses run from 5:30am to 11:15pm, linking People's Square and Hanghua New Village. It follows one of the cities main arterial roads, Yan'an Road.
No. 925: This is a useful line. It is the shuttle bus running from Shanghai Zoo to Hongqiao International Airport. The bus operates from 6:45am to 10:00pm. Passengers can transfer to it from bus No. 925B.
No. 926: These buses operate from 5:30am to 10:30pm. Major attractions along the route include the City God Temple, Yuyuan Garden, Huaihai Road, Xujiahui and the Shanghai Gymnasium.
No. 93: These buses run from 5am to 11pm. Major attractions along the route include Jing'an Temple, Shanghai Library and Xujiahui.
No. 15: These buses operate from 5am to 11pm. Major attractions along the route include the Shanghai Gymnasium, Xujiahui, Huaihai Road and Jing'an Temple.
No. 936: This route links Pudong and Puxi and passes Shanghai Zoo, People's Square and Shanghai's Century Park. The buses run from 5:30am to 10:30pm.
Have Your Say
Shiela Comia Jothy
(Filipino, 9 months in Shanghai) said she enjoyed riding Shanghai buses, which are clean and comfortable.
Tips
∎ Language is the biggest barrier for foreigners to ride a bus. The signs at bus stops are all in Chinese and very few bus drivers and conductors speak English. Some buses in the downtown have English announcements in their onboard reminder system.
∎ If you have to take a packed bus, take care of your pockets and backpacks. It is wise to take down the pack from your shoulder and carry it in your hands, which can save space on the bus and keep it away from pickpockets.
∎ A Public Transportation Card cannot be swiped twice on the same bus or Metro station. So prepare coins if you have a card but your companions don't.
∎ The bus fares are for one way. If you reach a terminal station and want to ride back, you must buy a ticket or pay the charge again.
