What do you get with a population of 19+ Million citizens?

Integrated Transportation

Here’s a fact: Shanghai has the largest bus system in the world!

There is an incredible 1,424 bus lines!

Shanghai has a bigger population and probably just as big a footprint as London. That’s where the comparisons end I’m afraid.

Are you sitting down Londoners?

Good. A 7 mile taxi journey through the city of Shanghai at night costs £3.

Oh. They’ve fainted. Quick Karen grab a wet towel!

A single Metro ticket is £0.40 for any journey length. Or a unlimited use for 72 hrs only costs £4.60.

If that’s not cheap enough for you, a few quid can secure you some Wheels for your shoes.

Where we going?
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For Taxis, the biggest piece of advice we have is to either write down the Chinese script of your destination (this one is for the art students) or download an Anglo-Sino translation App, to show the drivers. (We use Yocoy) or take a photo of the street sign or use the fantastic app Hi Shanghai.

Failing that charades is a good strategy. We used all of the above 🙂

For the Metro it’s easy. Everything is in English as well as Mandarin. Signs, announcements and what not. The only issues are the queues for the security screenings and the gargantuan transfer walkways between lines.

Big piece of advice: Buy a Transport Card. Similar to an Oyster / Octopus card and you can use them in cabs too. They save you queuing at the ticket machines and scrambling for change.

Plus they look shiny!