Shanghai Public Bus

As Shanghai is such an immense city, it has more than 1,100 bus lines that extensively cover its reaches with about 50 more lines opened, adjusted, or lengthened annually.

The lines are categorized by time. There are daytime buses, rush hour buses, and night buses.

Some are also categorized by the areas they serve. For example, you can find buses that specialize in the Western Pu River area, Eastern Pu River area, around the Pu River (bridge and tunnel), and the Suburban area.

There are also various bus styles defined by their payment methods. There are some with no conductor buses that cost 1 Yuan (for trips within 13 kilometers), 1.5 Yuan buses (for trips more than 13 kilometers), air conditioned vehicles that cost 2 Yuan, and some special lines that require multiple tickets.

The main bus stations and transit areas in Shanghai for buses are Shanghai Railway Station, People's Square, Xujiahui, Zhongshan Park Wujiaochang, Shanghai Indoor Stadium, and Dongchang Road. On the other hand, the hubs at Xinzhuang, Longyang Road, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park stations have buses that serve more suburban areas nearby.

Shanghai Bus Numbering System

Buses and their utility can be defined by the number of their route.

• 1-200: downtown regular lines
• 201-299: rush hour lines
• 301-399: night lines
• 401-499: cross-river lines
• X: old cross-river lines
• 504-599, 801-899, 901-999: special lines
• 601-699: Pudong New District special lines
• 701-799: regular outskirts lines
• Abbreviated names: suburban lines

Tips

• Air conditioned buses cost 0.5-1 Yuan more than the standard price of a non-air conditioned bus. Most buses today are air conditioned except for the old ones, which are rare to find.
• Exact change in coins is best for paying bus fares.
• A Shanghai Public Transportation Card can also be purchased and used on most but not all routes.
• 10 Special tourist bus lines start at the Shanghai Stadium and access most of the most famous destinations in the city and nearby.
• There are some fares based on flat rate and others on distance. Those with a conductor tend to be distance-based.
• Track bus times, lines, and traffic conditions at the website: www.jt.sh.ch