How to take the bus in Beijing

Beijing boasts a well-established public bus network, with over 1,500 regular bus routes serving urban and suburban areas and covering nearly every neighborhood you could visit during your stay. The Beijing public bus system operates from 5:00 to 23:00, with 36 overnight routes catering to late-night travelers, ensuring convenient access to popular destinations at all hours. You'll beable to view information about specific bus lines at every bus stop, including the bus stop names in Chinese and Pinyin romanization, frequency and the fare. Following are 3 ways to take a bus ride in Beijing.

- Get the multifunction smart card BEIJING PASS (specially design for foreign tourist like yourself) at the international arrival terminals of Beijing Airports.

- Use the convenient and cashless Bus QR code via Alipay.

- Use Cash, but make sure you have the exact amount of small notes or coins.

1. How to get and use  BEIJING PASS

Pick up this smart card for foreign tourists at the airport. It provides access to public transport, entry to select attractions, and can be used for payment at some convenience stores. Click here for BEIJING PASS User Manual

2. How to Use Bus QR code inside Alipay

As we mentioned, Alipay is one of the most important apps in China besides WeChat, but in order for it to fully fucntion, you need to set it up by linking it with one of your active bank cards (both Chinese and international bank cards work for this). Click this link for instructions if you havent set yours up yet. (link ot step-by-step guide in mobile payment).

You can find the steps for setting up a Bus QR code for Beijing on Alipay below. Can't read Chinese? You can switch your Alipay to one of 15 available in-app languages!

1) Open the Alipay App and press "Transport"

2) Choose "Bus" on the left top, then press "Get now"

3) Check to agree to the terms and conditions and press "Agree and Obtain the card". In case there's any confusion, this page has clear instructions and FAQs below.

4) If you haven't put in your password, it will pop like it does when getting your subway QR set up. Just put in your Alipay payment password (that you created when you first linked alipay with your bank card, click here to read more)

5) You've now got your Bus QR code ready to swipe and ride! Use as indicated in illustration on 3.

3. Use Cash to take bus

Yes, you can still use cash to take a bus, but keep in mind the bus drivers do not have change for you, so make sure you have small notes like CNY 1 or CNY 5, as most of bus fares are between CNY 1 to CNY 5.

Gentle Reminder:

1. Please do not carry flammable, explosive or other dangerous goods to buses.

2. Please pay attention to the notification at each stop, do not miss to get off.

Tel: 86-10-96166