If you want to explore the true color of Beijing, travel about the city in bus. taste the real flavor of Beijing city by the locals public transport. however, It is 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. While traveling in Beijing China, keep a map of the bus routes as you step in Beijing buses. |
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| Beijing Bus Routes |
Bus transport in Beijing is cheap, convenient and covers the entire city, Beijing buses are numbered 1-999 and there are presently over 500 bus routes criss-crossing the city. It is estimated that the city operates over 20,000 buses!
Buses numbered 1 to 100 operate within the 3rd ring road. 200-212 offer only night time travel 300s travel through the suburbs 400s travel from downtown out to the suburbs 600s ¨C 700s travel through residential areas 900s connect Beijing with its "rural" districts (Changping, Yanqing, Shunyi, Miyun, etc) that are not considered part of Beijing proper. |
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Beijing Bus Fares |
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Most bus fares are relatively cheap! For passengers paying by cash: Lines 1-199 operate on a flat rate of £¤1 per journey. Lines 300-899 charge £¤1 for the first 12 km of each journey and £¤0.5 for each additional 5 km. Buses with air-condition (800-899) start at £¤2. The night buses (200-299) charge £¤2 per journey.
If you get a public transportation card from a metro station (a card that acts as a debit card for the metro and buses) you can get a 60% discount on all fares: Lines 1-499 operate on a flat rate of £¤0.40 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.
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| Beijing Bus System |
Recent improvements to Beijing's bus system include the installation of IC card readers on some routes, bus lanes and the introduction of many low-emission buses in time for the 2008 Olympic Games. Pinyin for all the bus stops along the bus' route will also be displayed. Some buses are equipped with electronic display panels which announce the upcoming bus stop in pinyin.
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). |
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| Beijing Bus 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 6AM till 10PM. All buses with a line number in the 200s are night buses. Many routes get very crowded during rush hours (6:30AM-9AM and 5PM-9PM). On all major holidays, there will be more frequent service on most city routes. |
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| Beijing Long-distance Buses |
There are many Long-distance or inter-city buses connect Beijing with other major parts of China such as Shanghai. and 12 national highways and 8 main expressways that link Beijing to other parts of the country. Some of the Long-distance bus stations in Beijing are Zhaosongkou Long-Distance Bus Station, Dongzhimen Long-Distance Bus Station, Liuliqiao Lon-Distance Bus Station and Muxiyuan Lon-Distance Bus Station. |
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