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| Home - City Guide - Beijing - Getting Around | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Getting Around Getting Around Beijing Public Transport The public transport system, in particular the buses and minibuses, is rarely attempted by foreign visitors unless they have a good understanding of Mandarin. Travel by subway or taxi is by far the preferable option. City buses run 0530-2300 and are very crowded, particularly in the rush hours (0630-0830 and 1700-1900). Fares of between RMB0.5 and RMB7 are paid to the conductor on the bus. It is important to have your destination written in Chinese as the conductor is unlikely to speak English. Minibuses follow a few fixed routes within the city and a seat is guaranteed with a fare of RMB2 regardless of distance. Minibuses operate 0700-1900 and are faster and more comfortable. Clean, fast and efficient, the subway is an appealing alternative to the bus, although the trains are just as packed during rush hours. The subway consists of two lines: the East-West runs from Pingguoyuan via Xidan to the World Trade Centre and the Ring Line follows the Second Ring Road. There's an interchange between the two lines at Fuxingmen station. The subway entrances are marked by a logo of a square inside a 'C' shape and there is a flat rate of RMB2 for each journey, irrespective of distance travelled. Tickets can be bought from the ticket offices above the platforms and as tickets are undated and valid for all journeys it's worth buying a few at once to save queuing every time you use the system. Signs and announcements are in Chinese and English, it is open 0545-2300 and trains operate every three to five minutes. Taxis Taxis are plentiful, cheap and metered. They wait around major department stores, hotels and railway stations and can be hailed on the street. The distinctive yellow miandi (bread loaf), so called for its boxy shape, has come to characterise modern Beijing. All taxis have a sticker in the back window that indicates the rate per kilometre. Generally, the smaller and older the car, the cheaper it is. There is a 20% surcharge after 2300 and it is illegal for miandis to carry more than four people. It is important to write your destination in Chinese as most drivers are unlikely to speak English. Although taxis can be hailed anywhere, they are hard to find around Tiananmen Square or during lunch hour (1200-1300). Taxis can be pre-booked through Capital Taxi Co (tel: (10) 64 61 66 88). Cycle Rickshaws Although cycle rickshaws, which circulate around the main tourist attractions, are good for short trips, visitors must be aware that drivers can be hard to barter down and may demand more money at the end of the journey. The fare and the currency it will be paid in must be agreed in advance. Driving in the City Few short-term visitors to Beijing attempt to hire a car as the process is lengthy, parking is a nightmare and rental is restricted to the city limits. Although road regulations do exist, they are regularly ignored and it is not uncommon to see aggressive lane-swapping by buses and taxis or even traffic going the wrong way on roads or roundabouts. Theoretically traffic drives on the right but on smaller roads this is not always adhered to. Very few road signs are in English and it is important to remember that in the case of an accident it will always be assumed that the foreigner is at fault. If you do drive, an International Driving Permit is essential. Car Hire The complexities of arranging the special licence in order to rent a car and the restrictions on hiring mean that most visitors hire a car with a driver on a daily or weekly basis. There are a number of companies such as CITS (tel: (10) 66 03 93 16) and CTS (tel: (10) 64 67 53 87) that can arrange this. Hertz have recently signed a joint-venture agreement with a car rental company in Beijing and this will come into operation in 2000. Avis and Budget are likely to do the same in the foreseeable future. Bicycle Hire As China has the highest number of bicycles anywhere in the world it also has an enormous supply of bicycle rental outlets. Although Chinese roads are unpredictable and at times fairly lawless, hiring a bike can be preferable to relying on public transport. There are bike lanes on all main roads which fill with several million cyclists during rush hours. At junctions cyclists cluster together then cross en masse when strength of numbers forces other traffic to give way. Bicycles can be rented from many hotels, including the Qianmen Hotel on Yonganlu (tel: (10) 63 01 66 88) for RMB35 per day and the Palace Hotel on Jingyu Hutong (tel: (10) 65 12 88 99) for RMB10 per hour. Shops tend to be cheaper. The brakes and tyres should always be checked before setting off and there are numerous bike repair shops on minor roads. Bicycles must be left in the special bike parking areas, which are guarded and are very cheap. |
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