Shanghai public transportti

Shanghai has a highly efficient and clean subway system with two underground lines and an elevated light rail. The station announcement are in Chinese and English and signs are posted in pinyin, making the subway a convenient mode of transportation for foreigners.

Avoid rush hour unless you want to know how sardines feel -expect a lot of jostling and be prepared to push and be pushed. Several more subway lines are under construction and are slated to open in 2006.

Subway lines 1 and 2 connect at People’s Square, while the above ground line 3 connects at various stations. The subway maps are easy to understand and the exits are clearly marked and include English. The cost of tickets depends on distance traveled, with most costing between RMB 2 and 4.

While buses are mostly clean and comfortable, they may be hard for you to manage unless you understand Chinese, though most have screens or announcements that broadcast in English. Buses charge a fixed fare, usually RMB 1 for regular buses and RMB 2 for air-conditioned buses, or fares that depend on the distant traveled.

TAXI

Shanghai has some of the best taxis in China; the ubiquitous Volkswagen Santana and newer sports utility vehicles and vans are also starting to appear. All certified taxis have a white placard with the driver’s picture, license number and stars, which designate rank. Flag-fall is RMB 10, most rides in Puxi will cost RMB 15 to 30, going to or from Pudong will cost more. It’s best to have your destination written in Chinese, since most taxi drivers know very little or no English. Make sure to get the receipt(fapido) which has the company’s phone number and taxi number you can complain about the service or call in if you’ve left something in the taxi. Taxis are everywhere and available at all ours. Companies are color-coded; the better companies tend to have taxis in better condition.

qingquang

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