HOW TO Learn Beijing Bus Routes
The bus system is Beijing is pretty good. Convenient, expansive and cheap (generally 1 RMB per ride; if you have a public transit card it’s usually 0.40 RMB).
However, if you’re new to Beijing and have no Chinese language skill, learning the bus routes quickly becomes an ugly exercise of trial and error. I’ve been to a few “tourist centres” around the city and none of them have any Beijing bus maps (probably because they would be thick as a bible).
If you’re going somewhere just once, forget about the bus and just hop in a cab. However, if you’re looking for a more efficient route to somewhere you regularly go, like your job, favourite restaurant, etc, you need to do a bit more work.
First, you need to know what bus routes go to your destination. Google Maps is a big help in learning Beijing bus routes. Type in where you want to go, then zoom in closely to see small clickable bus icons that give you a list of bus routes for that stop.
Alternatively, you could find the route numbers yourself. Chances are, there’s a few bus stops around your destination. They’ll have something like the picture on the left. Go to the bus stop and write down all the bus route numbers.
Then go to the Beijing Public Transport website for bus routes in Beijing. Unfortunately, the usability and speed of the site is terrible. But it’s better than nothing!
On the front page, enter the bus routes in the search. You’ll be given a list of bus stops (in romanized letters so you can read them!) overlaid on a map for your reference.
The longer you live in Beijing, your Chinese reading skill eventually improves and you learn to identify key bus stops and terminals, so getting around isn’t as painful. You’ll make a few Chinese friends who somehow seem to have the entire Beijing bus system memorized. Just make sure you know how to take the bus in Beijing.
