Public transport in China is an absolute necessity for making sure Chinese society can function optimally. Cities in China can be sprawling and vast, and sometimes there is no easy way to get from one end to the other.
On top of that, getting around can sometimes cost you a little more than you were expecting to pay, like that cab ride where you nervously watched the ticker go up and up with your destination far within reach.
Fortunately, public transport in China is much more developed than most Western countries and thus there are always numerous options to choose from. So which ones should we be using to cut costs and save more for going out at the end of a long week?
Instead of a taxi, take a Didi Chuxing rideshare
So this doesn’t actually count as public transport in China, but everyone uses it and it’s great so I decided to include it. Didi Chuxing is China’s massively successful version of Uber (in fact, in 2016 it bought Uber in China and merged the two) and like Uber, you can save some RMB by using the service. Didi Chuxing rides would cost me on average 25% less than if I were to make the same trip in a taxi (for example, a 6 km trip costs me only about 16 RMB, whereas a taxi would cost me about 20 RMB). There is even an option where you can carpool with other riders to save a few extra RMB as well.
You can download the English version of the app if you don’t know Chinese, but the catch is that your drivers will communicate with you only in Chinese (in China, of all places!)
However, if you usually make the same trips, Didi will save your locations so you don’t need to re-input them each time you use it. Public transport in China, especially buses, can sometimes be crowded or slow, so it might be worth it to shell out a little extra cash just to take a ride share.
Instead of the metro, take the bus
Depending on the length of your trip, it can be significantly cheaper to take the bus instead of the metro (subway). There are usually buses with routes from one end of the city to the other, and most of them will charge a flat rate or a few RMB less than the same trip by metro.
For example, I can take the metro 11 stations for 4.85 RMB ($0.69 USD), or I can take a bus to the same destination for 2.50 RMB ($0.36 USD).
The downside to the bus is that your trip may take longer depending on traffic, especially during peak hours. But if you have the time to spare, I advise you to seek out cheap bus routes. Soon enough you’ll have a stack of coins to use for beer!
Instead of the bus or metro, use a bicycle sharing app
Bike shares have blown up in China over the past few years, with most big cities well-stocked with bikes from two major companies: Mobike, the orange bikes, and Ofo, the yellow bikes (as of today, Ofo might soon be bankrupt, so I advise caution if you want to use it).
To use bike shares, download one of the bike share apps, use the bike locator on the app to find a bike, unlock it and start riding! You must pay a deposit ranging from 299 RMB (Mobike) to 99 RMB (the others). For every 30 minutes you ride, it will cost you either 0.5 RMB to 1 RMB depending on the bike. If you need to only go the length of two or three subway stops, a bike ride will save you about half the money, which again adds up over time with frequent trips.
Word of warning: only one of the apps (Mobike) currently has an English version, and it also has the priciest deposit. Sometimes it pays to know Chinese!
After you’ve arrived at your destination, use the app to find a designated parking space for your bike, or look for one on the sidewalk. The bike will automatically lock after you end your ride on the app.
Follow these tips and your pockets will be full of 1 mao coins in no time. Come back for more tips on eating, saving money and travelling in East Asia!