Beijing City Bus

There are a total of over 1,700 bus lines with nearly 30,000 buses running daily in Beijing currently, including the airport shuttles, tourism routes and express lines. Because of the high cost of the subway and light rail, Beijing has developed a new transportation way – BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lines. Buses of these routes are longer than others, and run on their special driveways. The tickets are sold at the bus stops. Thus, their speed and capacity have been greatly improved.

Run-time: Most of the buses in the downtown areas of Beijing start to run around 05:00 and stop at 23:00, while those running to the suburban areas usually operate for a shorter time between 06:00 and 19:00. The night routes in Beijing are in operation from 23:00 to about 04:30 of the next morning.

Bus Ticket: Beijing bus ticket is mainly divided into flat fare that is CNY 1 per person for the whole way, and fare charged by distance that is CNY 1 per person for the first 12 kilometers and additional CNY0.5 every 5 kilometers for the latter way. You may either pay for it by cash or by Beijing Transportation Card. If you pay the fare by the IC Card, you may enjoy 60% discount. Please note that over payment by cash into the coin machine will not be refunded.

Tips for taking a bus in Beijing: If taking a bus with three gates, you should get on from the middle gate and get off from the other two gates. If you pay the fare with Beijing Transportation Card, you have to swipe the card to the reader machine both when you get on and get off the bus.

Bus Routes for Major Tourist Attractions:
Tiananmen: 1, 4, 10, 20, 22, 37, 52, 59, 120, 126, 203, 205, 210, 728, 80
Forbidden City: 101, 103, 109, 124, 202, 685 or 814 Forbidden City Stop; 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 52, 120 or 802 at Tiananmen West or Tiananmen East Stop
Summer Palace: 209, 330, 331, 332, 346, 394, 683, 690, 696, 718, 801, 808, or 826 at Summer Palace Stop; 469 or 539 at Summer Palace West Palace Gate Stop; 209, 319, 320, 331, 332, 333(nei), 333(wai), 394, 432, 438, 498, 628, 664, 718, 801, 826, Te 6, Yuntong 106, Yuntong 114, or Yuntong 118 at Summer Palace Road Eastern End Stop; 303, 331, 346, 375, 384, 393, 498, 634, 683, 696, 697, 718, 801, 808, Te 5 or Te10 at Summer Palace North Palace Gate Stop; 74, 374, 437 or 952 at Summer Palace New Palace Gate Stop
Temple of Heaven: 6, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 43, 60, 116, 610, 707, 723, 743, 957, or 958 at Temple of Heaven East Gate Stop; 36 (loop-line), 53, 120, 122, 525, 610, 800 (nei), 803 or 958 at Temple of Heaven South Gate Stop; 2, 7, 15, 17, 20, 69, 105, 707, 729, or 826 at Temple of Heaven West Gate Stop; 6, 34, 35, 36 (loop-line), 106, 110, 687, 707, or 743 at Temple of Heaven North Gate Stop
Beihai Park: 5, 109, 124, 685, 814, 846 or Trolley Bus 101, 103 at Beihai Park Stop; 13, 42, 612, 701, 810, 823, or Trolley Bus 107, 111, 118 at Beihai Park North Gate Stop
Bird’s Nest: 82, 538 or 611 and get off at National Stadium East Stop; 18, 108, 124, 207, 328, 380, 387, 409, 426, 558, 653, 694, 758, 803, 849, 985 or Te 2 at Olympic Sports Center East Gate Stop; 84 or 407 at Olympic Sports Center West Gate Stop
Water Cube: 510 or 839 at Beichenxi Qiao Bei Stop; 386, 407, 656, 660, 689, 740, 753, 836 (express line), 939, 944 (branch line), 983 or Yuntong113 and at Beichen Qiao Xi Stop; 328, 379, 419, 425, 484, 518, 628, 751, 836, 851, 913, 949, 963 or Yuntong 110 at Wali Nankou Stop

Beijing Bus Routes at the Tourism Bus Dispatch Centers: Tiananmen Dispatch Centers at the southwest and southeast corners of the Tiananmen Square and Qianmen Dispatch Center at the northeast corner of Qianmen

Related Link: Popular Buses for Tourists in Beijing