China Step by StepPractical intelligence

China bus guide

City buses are cheap and go where the metro does not, and official guidance for foreign visitors covers exactly one thing about them: how to pay. Everything else a first-time visitor wants to know — which side of the road to wait on, when to get off — has no official source we could find, and this page says so rather than inventing the detail. This is a deliberately short page.

Should I do it before China?

Partly — some of it belongs before you fly

Cash works on day one and needs nothing prepared. The Alipay bus QR code does not: the official description puts identity verification before the code is issued, and the city is selected inside the app, so that part belongs to the before-arrival list along with the rest of your Alipay setup. The transit card is a passport errand at a bus company office and can only happen after arrival.

How

  1. Can do in ChinaOfficial guidance lists three ways for a foreign passenger to pay a city bus fare: RMB cash, a transit card, or the Alipay ride QR code.1
  2. Can do in ChinaIf paying cash, have the fare ready in small money before boarding — the official wording is that passengers are advised to prepare change in advance, because the farebox does not give change.1
  3. Can do in ChinaFor a transit card, take your passport to a bus company service outlet; the card itself can be paid for with RMB cash, WeChat or Alipay.1
  4. Do before arrivalFor the QR code, set it up before you travel: tap Travel in Alipay, select the city you are in, pass identity verification, and the bus QR code is then issued.3
  5. Can do in ChinaOn board with a QR code, scan when you get on and scan again when you get off — the official text says both.1
  6. Can do in ChinaOn direction and stops, we have no official guidance and the following is editorial judgement only: stops for the two directions of a route are separate, so the terminus name on the stop sign is what tells you which way the bus goes, and looking the route up in an English map app gives you that terminus and the stop order. Announcements on board are usually in Chinese, with English added in some cities.2

What can go wrong

You board with a 20-yuan note for a fare of a couple of yuan.

What to do instead The farebox does not give change, which is why the official advice is to prepare small money beforehand. Keep 1- and 2-yuan coins or small notes aside for buses, or pay with the Alipay ride code instead.1

You scanned once getting on and nothing more, on a route with distance-based fares.

What to do instead Some routes charge by distance and need a scan when boarding and another when alighting. Scanning only once may be charged at the maximum fare or may leave you unable to complete the journey. If you are unsure of the fare, ask the driver or use the ride code.1

You got on the same route number but it is heading away from where you want to go.

What to do instead No official source addresses this. Our editorial suggestion is to check the terminus name rather than only the route number, and to keep live positioning open in a map app so you can see the stop approaching. For a visitor who does not read Chinese, a short trip is easier by metro or taxi.2

Last verified and sources

Each record below is shown as provenance: who published it, what kind of document it is, how far it reaches and when we last checked it. The source’s own wording is not reproduced here — most of these documents are published in Chinese, and a translation of ours would be a paraphrase standing where a citation should be. Follow the link to read any of them in the original.

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