Hey Guys,

This may sound odd, I am just wondering whether it is acceptable for a foreigner/westerner to travel on public buses in Shanghai? I heard it is very cheap & can get you to places but at the same time, it can be real hectic during peak hours.
Any comments?

Cheers

Jas

I don't see why not if you don't mind and/or care about being stared at. It's for sure that local people are going to stare at you (most likely without an ill intention). Most people in China are simply curious about westerners. You probably will see a lot more of Shanghai by taking the buses.

I use the buses, I hate taxis. Get a travel card at a Metro station. You pay 100RMB, the first time they charge 20 for the card, then you can get it charged up at face value. Get on the bus, flash your wallet at the machine at the exit and your fare is paid. I dont find people stare at me, guess I'm not that interesting. At nonpeak times I usually geta seat.

Not 30kuai refundable deposit on the purchasing point??? I must have been overcharged then...

for instance, No 112 Bus ( from DaHua to People square ), i often see foreigner on it, but no one truly stares at them (well, even u r a blonde , i know u understand why the men keep staring at u )

Don't get on the buses marked "NO LAOWAI ALLOWED" otherwise you will be beaten up badly by the locals. No, really buses are quite good for taking a more direct route when there isn't a metro station nearby. The downside is that they still get stuck in heavy traffic and in peak hour they are more crowded than the trains. Not all buses accept the travel card so have a few kwai in your pocket just in case. I just bought a map of Shanghai in chinese and it has most of the bus routes marked on the roads (see below). It can be a bit like playing join the dots but if you match it up with a map in english then you should be able to figure it out.

haa... this is the map I am talking about in another thread (this fella double posted here en there). For illiterate like myself, I need to carry this map plus another map in english. Looking busy together with other Chinese migrants... LOST in SHANGHAI

yeah yeah~ u must get ready for the ordeal when it comes to the rush hour ( even by subway or taxi, isn't it? )
and what BaoLe said is just a familiar phenomenon that the public transportation system will change some goddamn bus routes periodically... don't count on the subway, or even not to the metro line 3 and 4~ well, u may say it's more faster and not so crowded ( not crowded? don't you get the experience when taking it during the 7:30 A.M ~ 9 A.M.?) compared to those buses~ but metro is metro, u know, its stops are so limited that actually you still gotta go to the place you want by foot when getting off~
i get some methods of my own to deal with such pain (well, maybe u will laugh at me ):
by bicycle, if the destination ain't very far from where u r, i suggest u go their by bike~ but make full preparation before starting your journey and just as DragonAss and BaiLe, take a map with ya~
by bus, except when in rush hour, why not? also, here's a URL: http://bendi.iask.com/ and after you type the destination you want to go and the location where you are, it will exactly show you how to go there by bus between the two places including the several different bus routes, quite easy for you, right?( say goodbye to maps~ )
the metro line and taxi is the last choice for me to take when in some extreme situations...

catching public buses is really not that bad, depending on the hour of travel and the route chosen. usually the price is rmb1.5 for non-a/c buses and rmb2 for a/c. its a great way to see and learn ones way around shanghai. another thing to know is that the transportation card cannot be used in all public buses, as some routes are serviced by contracting bus companies. also not all buses have the capability of accepting the transportation card perse'
other points to know include:
-some card readers are located at the front door beside the driver while on other buses the card reader maybe at the rear door
-some buses you can enter/exit at either door, while others one can only enter a bus at the front door (not the rear)
-same goes for exiting -some buses its not allowed to exit the bus using the front door only the rear door
-if paying cash then some buses have the payment box near the driver (though no change is given) at the front while other buses have a ticket collector
-the transportation card can be used for other uses including paying for taxis...

my suggestion is to also use a bicycle... a fold up one... you can buy a cheapie for like rmb400 or a good quality (eg. Dahon) made of alloy, with 16", 20" or bigger wheels... ride it, fold it, take it on the subway, bus or taxi... even into restaurants and other places where normal bikes arent allowed... and be independent and see some real parts of shanghai... shangahi is so flat and cycle friendly in many ways, ook so the traffic is kinda crazy, but really not half as bad as vietnam or cambodia, and certainly no where near as crazy as smaller towns or cities... biking -its what i did and it worked well for me... PM me if you would like to know more about any Dahon bike.