Beijing Bus - Getting Around by Bus in Beijing

Beijing Bus - Beijing's bus system is cheap, convenient and covers the entire city—perfect for locals but, alas, difficult to use if you don't understand Chinese. The bus staff speak little English, and only a few bus lines in the city center broadcast stop names in English. Bus stop signs are also entirely in Chinese.

But should you speak Chinese or have a healthy sense of adventure, a bus can get you almost anywhere, and often somewhere that you never intended to go: it's a great way to see parts of the city that tourists normally don't visit.

A flurry of shiny new buses have arrived on the streets in preparation for the Olympics. Many buses now feature air-conditioning (heating in winter), TVs, a scrolling screen that displays stops in Chinese, and a broadcast system that announces stops.

If you are having problems navigating the bus system, call the English-speaking operators at the Beijing Public Transportation Customer Helpline (96166).

Beijing Bus Warning!

Beijing buses can get very crowded so be prepared and keep an eye on your valuables.

Many pickpockets frequent buses and subways, so carry backpacks in the front, and try to put your valuables somewhere hard to access.

Be aware of a SCAM offering bus rides to the Great Wall masquerading as the real bus service. Instead of directly driving to the Great Wall, you will instead be led to a series of tours to dilapidated theme parks, tourist shops, museums, etc before finally reaching the Great Wall near the end of the day.

Bus lines are numbered from 1-999. Buses under 300 serve the city center. Buses 300 and up run between the city center and more distant areas (such as beyond the Third Ring Road). Buses in the 900s connect Beijing with its "rural" districts (i.e., Changping, Yanqing, Shunyi, etc) that are not considered part of Beijing proper.

Beijing Bus Fares and Operating Hours

Most buses with a line number under 200 run daily from 5:00 to 23:00. Buses with a line number greater than 300 run from 6:00 till 20:00-22:00. All buses with a line number in the 200s are night buses.

Many routes get very crowded during rush hours (6:30-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). On all major holidays, there will be more frequent service on most city routes.

For passengers paying by cash: Lines 1-199 operate on a flat rate of 1 RMB per journey. Lines 300-899 charge 1 RMB for the first 12km of each journey and 0.5 RMB for each additional 5km. Buses with air-condition (800-899) start at 2 RMB. The night buses (200-299) charge 2 RMB per journey.

For passengers paying by the new pre-paid Smart Card (yikatong): Lines 1-499 operate on a flat rate of 0.40 RMB per journey. Lines 500-899 get 60% off the cash price. There are also 3-day, 7-day and 15-day passes available for travelers. There is no return ticket or day ticket.