Buses in Beijing

Buses in Beijing

Buses are a convenient and inexpensive way to get around Beijing, but it's important to know how to use the bus system.

While buses are a convenient and cheap way to get around Beijing. But it's important to know how to use the bus system, and take a map with you.

If you plan to use the buses it's best to know the lines in advance. At your hotel, you can also find out what lines are best to catch.

Lines

There are currently more than 800 lines and 25,000 buses running in Beijing. 

  • 1-140: Lines that run inside the third ring of the city (downtown Beijing).
  • 夜1-38: Night lines, running from 11 pm (they have the symbol "night" in front of them.
  • 300-599: They connect the centre with the most distant areas of the city.
  • 801-988: They run long distances, such as from the centre to the Great Wall.

 

Timetable and frequency

Most daytime lines operate between 5:30 am and 11 pm. Some less important lines end their service at 6 pm.

Fares

Bus fares vary according to distance. The initial price is ¥ 2 (US$ 0.30) and increases by 1 Yuan for every additional 5 kilometres.

On longer routes, payment is made by distance, with ¥ 1 (US$ 0.10) being the price for the first 12 kilometres and ¥ 0.50 (US$ 0.10) for every additional 5 kilometres.

If you have the Yikatong Card, the fares have a 60% discount.