Riding Public Buses in China: Fares, Payment Methods, and Etiquette

Why I Started Taking the Bus

Lately I have really come to enjoy riding the bus. In the past I drove everywhere, including long road trips, but somewhere around middle age my body has grown a little lazy, and now I find taking the bus a genuinely pleasant way to get around.

Buses in China are very cheap. In my city a ride usually costs one or two yuan. In summer, when the air conditioning is running, the fare is two yuan; without AC it is one yuan. There is no distance-based pricing either — the whole line costs the same from end to end.

Getting into the city center is another story. There are more and more cars on the road, and every trip downtown means traffic. These days, to reach the center I either cycle or take the bus. Cycling is mainly for exercise and fresh air, renting a shared bike by scanning the code with Alipay or WeChat.

Most of the time, though, I take the bus. It is comfortable, and after work it doubles as a place to rest and unwind. Sitting by the window, watching the city slide past and strangers get on and off, is an experience worth having.

Interior of a Chinese city bus with blue seats, passengers, and city buildings visible through the windows — An ordinary ride: blue seats, handrails, and the city outside the window

Three Ways to Pay

There are several payment methods on Chinese buses:

Cash. If you have yuan in hand, both paper notes and coins work. Drop them into the fare box beside the driver.
QR code. Open Alipay or WeChat and search for your city’s dedicated bus code (“公交乘车码”). Scan that code at the reader on the bus.
Bus card. A local transit card costs a few dozen yuan. You can top it up with your phone’s NFC, with a minimum top-up of ten yuan, and then use it on any bus in the city.

                        Common mistake: do not scan the ordinary Alipay or WeChat payment code. The bus reader will not accept it. You must search for and open the city-specific bus transit code first, then scan that.
                    

Pay When Boarding — or When Getting Off?

The order of paying and riding differs from city to city. In my city you pay when you board, and simply walk off at your stop without paying again. In some other cities it is the reverse: you board freely and pay when you get off. Every city has its own rule, so watch what the other passengers do.

Eating, Drinking, and Everyday Etiquette

I have ridden buses in Singapore too, where the law forbids eating or drinking on board. Mainland China has no such law. You can drink water. Eating is not advisable — crumbs make a mess and the smell can bother other passengers — but a bottle of water is perfectly fine.

Buses here tend to carry a lot of elderly passengers. If you are sitting in the front section and an older person boards, the driver may use the loudspeaker to ask passengers to give up their seat. Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional virtue in China, and people generally respond without being asked twice.

Accessibility: Where China Still Lags

I have also ridden buses in Japan and Hong Kong. There, when a wheelchair user boards, the bus body can be lowered so the chair can be rolled on board. On the mainland this seems to be less developed — I have never seen such a feature here, so boarding with a wheelchair may be awkward.

A one-yuan fare buys a lot of city. The buses are cheap, frequent, and quietly one of the best ways to watch ordinary Chinese life go by.

Buses vs. the Metro for Commuters

For commuters, the bus is rarely the fastest option. It stops at many stations along the way, so it cannot match the metro for speed. Many working people now ride e-bikes or take the subway — both are quicker. But if you are not in a hurry, the bus is cheaper, calmer, and much better for looking out of the window.