Taking the Beijing Bus

Beijing is the second largest city in China, but only the 26th largest in terms of population. With almost 18 million people living in a space of less than 17,000 square kilometers, or 6500 square miles, however, it is the fourth densest city in the entire country.

Since the city is faced with having a thousand people packed into every square kilometer, as well as a corresponding pollution problem, it has become imperative for Beijing to introduce an extensive public transportation system. While you seldom see the traditional rickshaws and bicycle carts in Beijing anymore, the residents and tourists visiting this city do regularly take buses, taxis, and the subway, or Metro. By far the most affordable, and therefore the most common, of these methods is the City Bus.

Buses have run in Beijing for as long as there have been buses in existence, since the early 20th century. Still, it wasn't until the 1960's that the city government instituted an organized plan for implementing public transportation throughout the city. Part of the city government's plan was to introduce long distance bus lines, which are especially convenient for commuters and sightseers, along with many other lines within the city.

The biggest changes to the bus system, however, started to happen in 2005. It was at this time that Beijing was selected to host the 2008 Summer Olympics - and city officials knew they would have to upgrade the transportation system to account for two things: the influx of millions of visitors the city would be seeing in August, 2008 and the need to significantly decrease the smog within the city by the time the Olympic games begin.

Adding to the existing bus line was one way to help accomplish both of these goals. Currently, Beijing runs just under 18,000 buses. Still, the City of Beijing has made the development of its public transportation system one of the main goals of its 2010 modernization plan.

Every part of Beijing is accessible by bus, but if you are not familiar with the lines and schedules, it can be challenging to navigate the city by bus at first. If you are a visitor to Beijing, you have a couple of choices for scheduling a bus ride.

One choice you have is to check the City Bus website before you arrive in Beijing or while you are in your hotel. The city government posts schedules, maps, and guides to help you plan your routes as you explore the city-all of them available in English.

You can also ask your Beijing hotel personnel for help, as they will have the information that pertains to their location and can point you to the right bus for getting where you need to be. There's also a ticket person on almost every bus. So, if you're in doubt about which bus to take, simply tell the ticket person where you want to go and that person will tell you if the bus goes there. In addition, every bus station has a route board that marks the routes of each bus.

Paying for a ride on a Beijing City Bus is quite simple. In fact, there are ticket-sellers on nearly every bus, and this person will collect your money as you board. Rides of any distance usually cost 1 RMB, or 12 yuan. If you happen to board a bus with no ticket-seller on it, you will have to provide exact change for the change-box.

Another option is to buy a card called a "Yi Ka Tong" card, also known as an IC card. Buying this card will benefit you in two ways: it can be used on both the public buses and the Metro line and it gives the user a 60% discount on fares. You simply flash the card on the sensor and it deducts the fare. If you run low on money, you can stop at one of the many IC stations and put more money on the card. This is easier than carrying cash or a pocketful of change and cheaper than paying the ride-by-ride rate.