Shanghai Transportation
Shanghai has an extensive public transportation system, largely
based on buses, and a rapidly expanding metro system. For a city
of Shanghai's size, road traffic is still fairly smooth and convenient
but getting more congested as the number of cars increases rapidly.
If visitors will be staying in Shanghai for a long time, it
would be convenient to get a Shanghai Transportation Card, or
Shanghai Jiaotong Card. The card costs RMB 100, including RMB 30 for
deposit and RMB 70 for use. It can be used not only on subway,
but some public buses, ferries and even taxis. Travelers can
get these cards at any metro/subway station, as well as some
convenience stores.
Shanghai has two international airports:
- The Pudong International Airport, serves mainly International
flights
- The Hongqiao International Airport, serves most domestic
flights.
Pudong International Airport
 Situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary in east
Shanghai, Pudong International Airport, completed in 1999, is
about 30 kilometers (19 miles) away from the city center and
40 kilometers (25 miles) from Hongqiao International Airport.
In total, about fifty airlines have flights to over sixty domestic
cities and over seventy cities to other countries and regions.
For more information, contact the airport number at (8621) 9608-1388.
Hongqiao International Airport
Located in the west of Shanghai, Hongqiao International Airport
is only 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the city center. It mainly
handles domestic flights. From Hongqiao International Airport
to the city center, seven bus lines provide regular services.
For more information, inquiries can be made by telephone to the
airport at (8621) 5260-4620.
Notice To Air Travelers
Travelers should check which airport their flight is leaving
from, and arrive at least 1.5 hour to 2 hours before departure.
Domestic airplane tickets should be booked at least two days
in advance at one of the many travel agencies. Fares are generally
cheap, but vary depending on the season. When backpacking, it
may often be better to book a flight along a big traffic line
(Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Chongqing, Shanghai-Shenzhen) and
travel the rest by bus or train.
Shanghai has three train stations that provide convenient transportation
for tourists. Train tickets are also most conveniently booked
at least one day in advance through travel agencies or directly
at the three stations.
Shanghai Railway Station ( 上海站 )
The Shanghai Railway Station is Shanghai's largest and oldest
train station. It is located in Zhabei district on the intersection
of Metro Lines 1, 3 and 4. Travelers can access many different
destinations though this train station, including trains to Hong
Kong. Everyday 70 or so trains run between other cities all
over the country. A train journey to Suzhou takes between 40
and 90 minutes.
Ticket Office Address: Underground of the Complex Ticket Office
of the Railway Station
Shanghai South Railway Station ( 上海南站 )
The Shanghai South Railway Station is a new, greatly expanded
terminal which was completed in July 2006. It is set to take
over all services towards the south. It is located in the Metro
lines 1 and 3.
Ticket Office Address: No. 289 Old Humin Road, Shanghai
Shanghai West Railway Station ( 上海西站 )
The Shanghai West Railway Station is the smallest of the three
stations, with limited services to Yantai, Zaozhuang, Hengyang, Ganzhou and Chengdu.
It is not reachable by metro.
Ticket Office Address: No. 22 Taopu Road, Shanghai
Trains from Shanghai to Beijing
Shanghai to Beijing night sleep trains run daily, from 7:00 pm
– 8:00 pm. During this hour, trains run in 10 minute intervals
and arrive to Beijing at 7:00 – 8:00 am. Fare is around RMB 500
for a softsleeper (cabin for 4 persons). Hardseaters are available
for around RMB 250. Food is only served in the direction from
Shanghai to Beijing, so travelers should be prepared with snacks
on the same connection from Beijing to Shanghai.A regular normal
sleeper in a standard train takes 18 hours from Shanghai to Beijing,
at a fare of RMB 200-300 and no food included.
Shanghai Port is the largest one in Mainland China, covering
an area of 3,600 square kilometers. Since 1980s, Shanghai Port
has become a world-class port with a handling capacity of 100
million tons. In terms of ocean going lines, you can reach various
destinations including Hong Kong, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia,
Israel, Mediterranean, Northwest Europe, South Africa, South
America and East and West Coasts of USA. In terms of coastal
lines, you can reach the major harbors along the coast from north
to south, and in terms of the Yangtze River lines you can directly
reach the ports along the mid and lower reaches of Yangtze River.
Through the inland water transportation, you can reach all the
ports and harbors of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces via
the waterway network in the south of Yangtze River Basin.
 Shanghai
has the world's most extensive bus system with nearly one thousand
bus lines.
Sightseeing Bus
Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center is a self-aid Tourist Center
specially set up by Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative
Commission for the convenience of making tours for individual
Chinese and foreign tourists. It was listed as one of Shanghai
Government's Planned Projects in 1998.
The Center mainly offers self-aid tours and supplies different
kinds of package tour tickets. The package tickets include the
bus tickets back and forth from the center and entrance tickets
to tourist scenic spots. It can also arrange accommodation for
tourists in some tourist areas. The center provides guides on
the buses to introduce the scenic spots to tourists.
Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Center offers over 108 tour routes,
dispatching over 400 buses and a tourist volume of over 5000
people every day. The bus lines connect Shanghai with the various
major tourist attractions in Shanghai suburbs and its neighboring
cities.
One of the oldest travel lines operating in Shanghai is the
Jinjiang Sightseeing Bus, whose route connects some famous sights
in the downtown area, like People Square, Oriental Pearl TV Tower,
Yuyuan Garden, and the Bund.
There are also sightseeing buses on Nanjing Road that takes
tourists through the bustling Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.
Public Bus
Public buses in Shanghai are very convenient. There are around
1,200 public bus stations around the city. Generally the ticket
fare of the common bus is RMB 1 and RMB 2 for an air-conditioned
bus. Special-line bus charges range from RMB 1 to RMB 4. Be sure
to bring small change like RMB 0.5, 1, or 2 to put into the slot
at the entrance of the bus. Shanghai Railway Station, People
Square, Xujiahui, Zhongshan Park and Wujiaochang area are the
main public bus depots in downtown Shanghai.
| Shanghai Metro - Subway and Elevated Light Rail |
The Shanghai Metro (上海轨道交通) is an urban rapid transit system
that serves the city of Shanghai by transporting around 1.8 million
passengers each day. The system incorporates both subways and
elevated light railways, and has five lines (numbers 1, 2, 3,
4, 5) at present, with four more new lines under construction,
along with extensions to the lines currently in operation.
As new metro lines are opened, passenger volumes are expected
to rise significantly. Shanghai is the third city in China to
build a subway system after Beijing and Tianjin and currently
operates more lines than any other subway system in mainland
China.
The Shanghai Metro is considered the fastest and most convenient
way of getting around Shanghai. Main attractions and bustling
commercial areas such as the Bund, Longhua Temple, Nanjing Road,
Huaihai Road and Xujiahui are linked by two subway lines, Subway
Line 1 & 2, and the light rail Pearl Line (Mingzhu Line).
Fares range from RMB 2 to RMB 8 depending on distance. If travelers
do not have the transportation card, be sure to bring plenty
of small change such as RMB 0.5 or RMB 1 for the ticket vending
machines, although most stations also have staff selling tickets.
Taxis in Shanghai are plentiful and market competition has driven
taxi fare down to affordable prices for the average resident.
Taxi is generally a good choice for transportation in the city
as it saves a lot of time. But try to get your destination written
down in Chinese characters prior to getting in the cab as communication
can be an issue.
Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate
the company the taxi belongs to. Dazhong Taxi Company operates
sky blue taxis, Qiangsheng - orange, Jinjiang - white, Bashi
- green and Nonggongshang - blue. Of all the taxi companies,
Dazhong and Qiangsheng are the best.
It would also be important to know that Taxis in Shanghai have
stars displayed below the driver's photograph on the dashboard
in front of the passenger seat. The amount of stars indicates
the length of time the driver has been in the taxi business and
the level of positive feedback received from customers. The number
of stars range from zero to five. Drivers with one star or more
should know all major locations in Shanghai, and those with three
stars should be able to recognize even lesser-known addresses.
Remember that it takes time to build up these stars; so riders
shouldn't panic if they find themselves with a driver who doesn't
have any - just have them confirm that they know where they are
going and one should be fine.
Be sure to use the taxi meter and it would be better to have
a printed receipt before paying. In the daytime, the price is
RMB 11 for the first 3 kilometers (1.9 miles), an additional
charge of RMB 2.1 for every succeeding kilometer within 10 kilometers,
and about RMB 3.15 for every succeeding kilometer after 10 kilometers
(6.2 miles).
At night from 11:00pm to 5:00am, the price of a taxi is about
RMB 14 for the first three kilometers, an additional charge of
about RMB 2.73 for every succeeding kilometer within 10 kilometers
and an additional about RMB 3.36 for every succeeding kilometer
after 10 kilometers. Passengers can bargain over prices when
taking taxis at night. Complaints about unreasonable night prices
or other complaints can be filed by calling (8621) 6323-2150.
The complaint telephone number can be found on the taxi's stuck
to the interior panels of the car.
For taxi booking, please call the following taxi companies:
- Qiangsheng (8621) 6258-0000
- Dazhong (8621) 96822
- Jinjiang (8621) 96961
- Nonggongshang (8621) 6214-5588
Before the 1990s, bicycling was the most ubiquitous form of
transportation in Shanghai, but the city has since banned bicycles
on many of the city's main roads to ease congestion. However,
many streets have bicycle lanes and intersections are monitored
by "Traffic Assistants" who help provide for safe crossing.
Most hotels have bicycles for rental. It costs around RMB 15-30
per day. Bicycle deposits can be made either by paying RMB 200-400,
or using a passport. Bicycles can also be purchased. New bicycles
can cost anyway between RMB 150 – 500; and second hand bicycles
can be purchased from RMB 80 – 150. Although
this information is correct at the time of our web publication,
it is still advised that you call the phone number and confirm
the address before going to the venue because some venues may
have changed their telephone numbers or address locations.
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