Transportation in Beijing is convenient and relatively cheap if you can get around the traffic. However, newcomers might shy from hailing taxis on their own due to the language barrier (the prospect of having to speak Mandarin), or a fear of being rejected by a cabbie (due to his fear of having to speak English). Fortunately, ride-hailing and rental transport mobile apps have become more commonplace. In this guide, we outline the basics of the most foreigner-friendly private ride-hailing and bike rental apps, as well as tips for a more pleasant subway journey in Beijing.

Ride Hailing

神州专车 (Shénzhōu zhuān chē)

Different from Didi, 神州专车 is better known for its car-renting services and long-distance commuting, although it also provides a ride-hailing service like Didi’s. It accepts booking in advance; for example, if your flight is landing in three hours, you can book a pick-up via the app according to your schedule. Its renting service means you can rent a car with a professional driver for a specific time period. It can be a lifesaver when you’re moving cities with lots of belongings, especially with pets.

Didi (滴滴出行 dī dī chū xíng)

Didi provides a ride-hailing service within and outside China. To book a ride, you need to choose your pick-up and drop-off locations. You can add and save frequent destinations for future rides. Once matched with a driver, you will be able to see information about the driver and the vehicle. You can also check the route your driver takes to pick you up, as well as the driver’s estimated time of arrival, and real-time traffic conditions. An in-app messaging feature allows easy communication with your driver. Instant IM translation between English and Chinese is also available when you use the feature. Pay directly through the in-app payment (Alipay, WeChat pay, and credit cards work) feature or in cash (taxi only).

Bike-Sharing

Bike-sharing apps have taken Beijing roads by storm, having become one of the most convenient ways to commute in the city. For only a minimal rent, you can just scan a QR code on a bike then go. After two years of fierce competition, currently two bike-sharing companies are leading the market—Mobike and Ofo.

Mobike and Ofo

Ride Like a Local

Besides ride-hailing and bike-sharing, the Beijing Subway might be your best bet for commuting. Even though it gets super crowded during peak hours, it’s still a better choice than taking a taxi, with a high risk of traffic jams. That’s why Metro China Subway is a godsend. It’s a very helpful app which provides an accurate Metro map and information, and route planning including route, time and fare information. No network connection is needed.
Also, when riding buses or taking the subway, you need an 一卡通 (yīkǎtōng), a public transportation smart card. Scan the QR code for more on the Yīkǎtōng card, and on how to ride a bus or take the subway like a local.

This article appeared on p50-51 of the beijingkids July 2018 Home & Relocation Guide issue.

Something in Beijing is celebrating its birthday today!

The city’s mammoth subway train network, officially called Běijīng dìtiě 北京地铁 (Beijing Subway), is celebrating the 48th anniversary of the day it opened to the public in 1969, making it China’s oldest subway network. It took 39 years — or the time of the 2008 Summer Olympics — before Beijing had a line going to the capital airport. Since then, the network has grown rapidly with 11 lines built in a span of eight years after the Olympics.

And since we started with a tidbit, let’s continue with some interesting details about the Beijing Subway.

At the time of writing, the whole network is composed of 19 lines, 345 stations (70 are above the ground), and 574km of track in operation. Construction on other lines and stations is underway, including four new networks that will link Beijing with Hebei Province as soon as 2021, according to China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

It’s massive and the busiest subway network in the world. According to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, the Beijing Subway’s annual ridership amounted to 3.66 billion in 2016, with more than 10 million people riding the trains every day.

Its busiest lines are Line 10 (the loop along the Third Ring Road), Line 4, Line 13 (the overground line), and Line 5, with authorities saying these lines “are all overloaded, sometimes at 120 percent of planned capacity.” That being said, the stations are notoriously crowded usually between 8-10am and 5-7pm, so you might need to prepare your survival instincts. In the morning, be prepared to smell something putrid coming from the mouths and the bodies of some passengers. Yikes.

The Beijing Subway uses the yīkǎtōng 一卡通 contactless fare smart card, similar to the Oyster Card of London’s transport system, the Octopus Card of Hong Kong and the Beep Card of Manila’s MRT/LRT. Yīkǎtōng, which literally means “one card pass,” can be also used for buses, public bikes, and the Airport Transport Express. The card can be bought with a RMB 20 deposit (and can be returned at selected stations) and be topped up in units of RMB 10 in reloading machines at subway stations.

The Yikatong card

Upon the development of the subway system, Chinese officials demolished the inner walls and gates of Beijing’s city fortifications. Some subway stations were named after the demolished gates like Xizhimen and Dongzhimen. And speaking of names, many of the stations have interesting meanings, just like the ones we’ve recently featured in our Subway Sunday column.

For tourists, there are stations that are just by or directly below some attractions. Line 1, for example, is what you will take when you want to visit the Forbidden City.

Underground art. Some wall sculptures on one of Beijing’s subway networks.

So there you go, those are the fun facts about this mammoth subterranean railway network in Beijing! With its continuous development, I’m sure there’ll be more interesting tidbits that I can share in the future.

If you know or want to share any story about subway stations or subway travel in general, let us know by emailing webeditor@beijing-kids.com or by leaving your comments below.

Photos: BJ News; Beijing Subway logo and Beijing Subway extension plan from Wikimedia Commons; Yikatong photo from ECCS; Andy Penafuerte III

See more of my stories here.
Email: andypenafuerte@beijing-kids.com
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