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Getting Around Chengdu on Buses & Bikes |
The article by Jane Vo was first published in Chengdoo Citylife Magazine issue 5
Bicycles
In some ways, bicycles are the most convenient means of transportation here: inexpensive to buy and maintain, energy-efficient, easy to maneuver in gridlocked traffic, etc. That is, until you get a flat or your entire bike is gone when you go outside.
Bikes can be purchased easily from bike-specialty shops, supermarkets, secondhand markets, etc. starting at around RMB100 (used) or several hundred (new).
The most important accessory you’ll want to purchase for your bike will be a sturdy lock (or two). Many people prefer U-locks, but it’s also good to be able to lock your bike around posts. If you buy this kind, make sure it’s solid enough that it can’t be easily cut through.
At many of the city’s major intersections, the traffic guard will blow a whistle or shake a flag at you and tell you to dismount — by law you are not supposed to ride across.
Most mid-journey bike dysfunctions can easily be repaired while you wait at roadside bike-service shops or stands.
Many public buildings have bike parking lots where an attendant watches your bike, usually charging between 2 and 5 jiao (possibly more if you leave it overnight). Be sure to ask what time the attendant is off duty, though, as if you haven’t collected your bike by that time you just might find it locked up with no possibility of retrieval until morning.
Buses
A much-used and often-abused mode of commuting, bus transport is a good way to feel immersed in a city’s culture — oftentimes literally.
Taking the bus is quite self-explanatory here; being able to read a little Chinese helps immensely, but with most bus stops sporting route maps and pinyin these days the system is navigable even without knowledge of Chinese. Bus-stop signs also list all stops on the route, with beginning and end stops marked, the direction the bus is traveling in, the starting and ending times for the route, and whether or not the bus will have a ticket seller on board (important if you’re not carrying change). Chengdu buses currently cost RMB1 or 2 if the vehicle is air-conditioned; night-service buses charge one additional yuan.
You can also purchase a bus IC card, which will save you some money and hassle. You need to present a photo ID and pay a deposit of RMB20, which is refundable upon return of the card (be sure to keep your receipt). You can charge the card in increments of RMB10, 20, 40, or 50, each yuan granting you two 1-RMB rides. Any remaining balance on your card automatically expires on the last day of each month.
Seewww.cityboat.com.cn/news/ggcxreadnews for a list of locations where you can purchase and charge a public-bus IC card.
See www.cityboat.com.cn/files/ggcx-xlcx for Cityboat routes and times. You can do a route search atwww.chengdu.edushi.com
The article by Jane Vo was first published in chengdoo CITYLIFE magazine no.5