Shenzhen Bus - Shenzhen Transport - Start in China from Shenzhen

Shenzhen Bus

There are many buses in the city and all connections are good, but bus signs are only in the Chinese (no pinyin). Without a good map of Shenzhen or without speaking Chinese it is very difficult to use the bus. Buses are often overcrowded during rush hours. Depending on the type of bus (new air-conditioning buses are most expensive) and the distance it costs between 1 and 6 yuan.

Update: since the start of 2008 it is possible to use a special transport card (for sale in the subway) for ALL busses in Shenzhen. You first need to save for example 100Y in the card. When you take the bus, there are two possibilities:

- some busses have a fixed fare rate. In those busses you need to 'beep' your card in the front of the bus.

- all other busses have variable rates. In these busses a ticket lady will ask you where you want to go. Make sure you know the name of the stop in Chinese! She carries a portable scanner and you need to hold out your transport card so she can 'beep' it.

tip: be very careful of your posessions in crowded buses or at bus stops. Thiefs often try to strike here!

Finding the bus number; there is no English language website to lookup busnumbers I believe, but there is a very good Chinese website that is relatively new: www.chachaba.com. Also see my Shenzhen map page for more information about chachaba.

Inside a Shenzhen bus. Normally the busses have two lcd screens and the seats have enough leg-space.

Update january 2009: E, M and B busses added

Shenzhen has added 36 new busroutes. The network includes express and trunk routes, which cover longer distances. The third tier refers to branch bus routes, which are used to connect express and trunk bus stations.

The express bus routes mainly provide long-distance service connecting Longgang and Bao’an outside the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the districts within the SEZ. The trunk routes refer to bus service along the city’s trunk roads.

The branch routes, with buses painted orange, will adopt a flat fare of 1 yuan (US$0.15) per passenger per ride. The numbers for branch buses start with the letter B, which stands for “branch.” The express buses are painted green with route numbers beginning with an E. The trunk buses are blue with an the initial letter M, standing for “main” roads.

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