More than 10 Shanghai bus companies operate about 1,600 city bus lines in downtown and suburbs, offering convenient alternatives to metro. These lines can be identified either by numbers or Chinese characters representing the terminals. Shanghai bus stops of most downtown lines are announced by automatic reporter in Mandarin, Shanghai dialect and English, while a small part are announced in Mandarin and Shanghai dialect only.
Shanghai City Bus Routes
1. Regular Downtown Lines: 1 to 992, Daqiao Line 3 to 6, Tunnel Line 1, 2, 3, 6 & 8
2. District/Regional Lines & Suburban Lines: Starting with Pudong, Jiading, Baoshan, Qingpu, Minhang, Fengxian, Songjiang…
3. Cross-district Lines: Starting with Huzhu Express, Shangzhu, Shangshi, Nanchuan, Xinjia, Songmei, Songxin, Shenchong, Lianzhu, Nanqing, Huqingying…
4. Night Lines: 301 to 345, Xumin Special Line, Tunnel Night Line 1
5. Downtown Shuttle Bus: 1001 to 1849 to solve the last-kilometer commute to/from metro station, and transfer between main roads and communities.
6. Rush-hour Lines: 04 -1090, Songjiang Line 29, Daqiao Line 1, Lingang No.2, Qinghua Special Line, Singjiang No.29
7. Sightseeing Bus: City Sightseeing Lines by Spring Tour, Shanghai Bus Tours, Shencheng Sightseeing Bus …
8. Shanghai airport to city bus: Pudong Airport Shuttle Bus, Hongqiao Airport Shuttle Bus
9. Other categories: Hongqiao Transport Hub Line 1 & 4 to 10, Ferry Lines, Customized Line, BRT Nantuan Line, BRT Fengpu Line
10. Intercity Lines: K319 & routes starting with Bahe, Huliu, Taijia, Jiashan, Kunshan, Pinghu, Yangshan and Qingshang.
| City Bus | | | Getting on the Bus | |
Shanghai Bus Schedule
Most bus routes start running from 05:30 – 06:30 and stop service at 19:30 – 21:30.
Rush-hour Lines operate from 06:00 – 08:00 to 16:30 – 18:30.
Night Lines are in operation from 23:00 to 05:30 the next day.
Shanghai Bus Fare & How to Pay
The city bus fare varies a little according to the vehicle types. Most routes including the downtown lines, suburban lines, night lines and rush-hour lines charge CNY2. The downtown shuttle buses only cost CNY1.
Passengers need to prepare some loose change to insert coins or banknotes into the coin box, or swipe the Shanghai Public Transportation Card to pay.
Most cross-district lines charge by distance and the ticket price is CNY1-12. Conductors sell tickets on these city buses on which passengers must pay in cash.
Tourists can have a general look at Puxi, Pudong by the double-decked City Sightseeing Lines 1, 2, 3 & 5. They can hop on and hop off to visit attractions including Nanjing Road, the Bund, People's Square, Yu Garden, Xintiandi and Shanghai Museum. There are also three lines of Big Bus Tours connecting must-gos in Shanghai.
| Double-deck City Sightseeing Bus | | | Shanghai Sightseeing Bus Map (Click to Enlarge) | |
Shanghai direct tourist buses set off at the airport and popular sites in the city center, taking tourists to Wuzhen, West Lake, Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator’s Garden ...
Shanghai Trolley Bus: CNY2; 05:00 – 23:00
Bus No. | Terminals |
14 | Jiangpu Road North Zhongshan 2nd Road - Dongxinqiao |
15 | North Zhejiang Road East Tianmu Road – Shanghai Stadium |
19 | Tangshan Road Tongbei Road – Putuo Road Jiangning Road |
20 | Hankou Rd. Middle Sichuan Rd. – Zhongshan Park |
22 | Changbai Road Tumen Road – Minhang Road Changzhi Road |
23 | South Zhongshan 1st Road South Xizang Road - Xinkangli |
24 | Doushi Street East Fuxing Road – Changshou New Village |
Trams in Shanghai
Songjiang Tram Lines:
Line T1 connects Canghua Road and Xinqiao, while line T2 is a loop line running around Songjiang University Town. Songjiang Tram Line T3 to T6 is under construction. Shanghai will have more tram lines in Fengxian District and Pudong New Area in the future.
- Last updated on Feb. 19, 2024 by Gabby Li -