HOW TO Take The Bus in Beijing
Learning how to take the bus in Beijing and learning Beijing bus routes are two entirely different experiences. Indeed, both require lots of patience. However, you need more than patience when riding the bus in Beijing, especially if you’re new. Here’s a few things you need to know:
How to pay
There are 3 ways to pay on buses: public transit card, cashbox, or pay cash to the bus conductor. For most trips, bus fare is 1 RMB (0.40 with a public transit card).
If you board a bus with a bus conductor, you’ll need to know where you’re going as the fare depends on how far your destination is. You should know how to say your destination or at least make sure you have it written down.
How to get on
There are 2 kinds of buses: 2-door and 3-door. If it’s a 2-door bus, you board at the front. For 3-door buses, board using the middle door.
This is important because the method of payment is near the boarding door. Also, this helps you avoid the stream of people exiting the bus.
How to keep your sanity despite the crowd
Just make peace with the fact that at some point in your Beijing bus-riding career that you will get elbowed in the spine; that some lady’s purse will hit you in the face; that someone will sit in a seat that you were clearly about to sit in.
I’ve rode some buses that were so crowded that when I got off, I noticed I had at least 4 different sweat stains on my shirt, none of them being mine.
So how can you deal with it? You either get used to it, or take a taxi that costs at least 10x as much. It’s that simple.
How to get off
On your first few bus rides, you should be constantly looking outside the window to familiarize yourself with landmarks. This is important because for newcomers to Beijing, it is difficult to know where to get off. The announcements are in Mandarin and English, but the station names are always said in Chinese. Eventually, things will click, but it’s always good to have a visual picture of your surroundings.
Also important is how to politely get off the bus. Use the phrase “xià chē ma?” which means “are you getting off the bus?” if someone is between you and the door. They may respond with “xià”, which means yes; in which case just stand behind them and follow their lead.
