Do you know that 22nd of September is marked as World Car-Free Day (世界无车日shì jiè wú chē rì)? This day is celebrated to encourage people to reduce the use of private cars and instead use alternative forms of transportation such as walking, cycling, or using public transport.
As of 2023, there are more than 4 million cars mobilizing across Shanghai, causing severe traffics (堵车 dǔ chē） on several areas around the city. To handle this issue, Shanghai government has implemented strict traffic measures, such as:
1. Implementing License Plate Lottery System
This measure is done to limit the number of new vehicles on the road by controlling the amount of license plate issuance per month. License plate also needs to be bought separately at around 50 000 rmb
2. Adopting Congestion Pricing Measure
To discourage unnecessary trips, vehicles entering certain zones during peak hours are required to pay a fee.
3. Building Highways and Roads
Shanghai has an extensive network of expressways and roads. It is home to one of the busiest and widest urban expressways in the world, the Yan’an Elevated Road （延安路高架桥 yán ān lù gāo jià qiáo）, which consists of a 6-level stack interchange.
Get to know the public transports in Shanghai.
1. Sharing Bike （共享单车 gòng xiǎng dān chē）
Simply download the mobile application of the sharing bike company that you want to use and scan the code located either on the handle of the bike or under the seat to unlock it and you can straightaway go cycling around the city!
2. Metro （地铁 dì tiě）
As of 2023, Shanghai has 18 operational metro lines which cover a distance of more than 700 km. Right now, more than 70% of transport in Shanghai is done by Metro.
3. Bus （公交 gōng jiāo）
Shanghai government also put extra focus on expanding public buses. 50% of Shanghai resident’s house are less than 500m away from the bus station.
4. Taxi （出租车 chū zū chē）
You can use various applications to call a cab. Some app also provide cab-sharing service, which enables you to share a cab with strangers enrouting to the same direction at a relatively lower price.
⚠️FUN FACT:
Shanghai has an iconic transportation feature called “Bund Sightseeing Tunnel”（外滩观光隧道 wài tān guān guāng suì dào）, which runs underneath the Huangpu River and connects the Bund area on the Puxi side to the Lujiazui area in Pudong.
What makes it unique is the immersive light and sound show experienced while traveling through the tunnel, which has gained popularity among tourists.
Don’t know what app to use when maneuvering around the city? Download these apps now:
1. Alipay (支付宝 zhī fù bǎo）
With Alipay, you can activate your metro and bus barcode that can be used for riding public transports around the city. You can also order a taxi through this app.
2. Shanghai metro
You can check out the Shanghai metro lines map and routes here.
3. 百度地图 bǎi dù dì tú / 高德地图 gāo dé dì tú
Generally, these two apps serve the same function. Simply choose ‘公共交通‘ option to check for the best public transport route, as well as the opening and closing time of the public transport. Unfortunately, this app does not provide English language settings.
After mastering the operation of these applications, the next thing to grasp is the basic conversational dialogues to avoid getting lost around this vast metropolitan city.
Riding Bus
Where is the nearest bus stop?
最近的公交车站在哪里?
zuì jìn de gōng jiāo chē zhàn zài nǎ lǐ?
How can I get a bus ticket?
我在哪里能买到车票?
wǒ zài nǎ lǐ néng mǎi dào chē piào ?
When will the bus arrive?
公交车会什么时候到？
gōng jiāo chē huì shén me shí hòu dào ？
Riding Metro
I cannot scan my barcode
我的二维码扫不了
wǒ de èr wéi mǎ sǎo bù liǎo
To which line are we exchanging?
我们要换成几号线？
wǒ men yào huàn chéng jǐ hào xiàn？
Where is exit number 3?
3号出口是在哪儿？
3 hào chū kǒu shì zài nǎ ér？
Riding Taxi
I’m in a hurry. Take the short cut，please.
我很着急，请选择一条近路走。
wǒ hěn zháo jí ， qǐng xuǎn zé yī tiáo jìn lù zǒu.
Can you pull over here?
你能在这儿靠边停车吗?
nǐ néng zài zhè ér kào biān tíng chē ma ?
Just drop me here.
把我放到这儿吧。
bǎ wǒ fàng dào zhè ér ba.
Don’t know how to say the directions in Chinese? Check out these simple phrases!
After learning these phrases, you are now ready to explore Shanghai like the locals!
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