Bus Travel for Travelers to China

2025 Complete Guide - City Buses & Long-Distance Coaches

✓ Real Traveler Data

✓ AI-Scraped & Human-Vetted

✓ Up-to-date Sources

✓ No OTA-Oriented

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1️⃣ Android users: install WeChat/Alipay before you land or via VPN / HK-exit eSIM (Play Store is blocked). Bus QR works in 280+ cities; ≈ 190 accept foreign Visa/Master/AmEx via Tourist Pay—no Tour Card needed.

2️⃣ Long-distance coach e-ticket — Search "客运 Mini-Program" in Alipay or use Keyou 客运 app. E-mail only sign-up (passport accepted, SMS optional). App adds ¥3–5 fee above window price. For faster inter-city travel, check high-speed rail

3️⃣ Boarding city bus — Front-door entry, scan QR on validator → beep ✔ → exit via rear door

4️⃣ Boarding coach — Arrive 15 min early, show passport + e-ticket QR. Bags >20kg go in hold (¥5-10 fee)

5️⃣ Night routes & Airport Express — Same QR payment. Airport buses now accept Alipay/WeChat in Beijing, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu Tianfu, Chengdu Shuangliu, Qingdao Jiaodong, Hangzhou and several other tier-1 airports. A few airport lines still cash-only—check the route page.

📱 What is China's City-Bus "Scan & Ride" system? — A 60-second primer

How buses work now

In most large cities you scan a QR in WeChat or Alipay when you board, then walk straight to a seat—no coins or transport card needed.

Why locals use it

• Fare auto-calculated (¥1–2 flat or distance-based)

• Works on night buses, BRT lanes, airport shuttles

• 30% discount on many routes after 15 rides/month

Coverage (May 2025)

280+ cities support QR boarding; 190 of them let foreigners bind Visa/Master/AmEx via Tourist Pay (blue merchant bus code).

Apps to install

1. WeChat → pull-down search "Bus QR" / "乘车码" (install before landing if Android—Play Store blocked)

2. Alipay → search "Bus Code" / "公交码" (host cities list inside). Translate bubble needs WeChat ≥ 9.1, Alipay ≥ 10.5.80.

Language support

Mini-program UI mirrors your phone language. Bus stop names show pinyin & English. Long-press Chinese text → 🔤 Translate bubble (WeChat 9.1 / Alipay 10.5.80+).

Payment for visitors

Bind a foreign card once → QR turns blue (= merchant code). Caps: ¥5 000 per ride, ¥10 000/day, ¥50 000/month; ≈ 1% FX spread.

Boarding flow

① Open mini-program → tap Generate QR.

② Driver's scanner beeps.

③ Gate tolls auto-deduct when you exit (distance cities) or instantly (flat-fare).

④ Scan again when you exit if the validator asks.

Why not cash / IC card?

Coin boxes often reject foreign coins and NFC cards; IC cards require a ¥20 deposit + queue. QR takes 30 s to set up once.

Good to know

• QR refreshes every 5 min and caches offline 24 h only if app whitelisted in battery-saver—otherwise it may go blank.

• Missed exit scan? Max fare auto-charged; appeal in mini-program within 24 h.

• Some rural feeder buses still cash-only—keep small notes.

TL;DR

Install WeChat or Alipay before you land, open the "Bus QR" mini-program for your city, bind your foreign Visa/Mastercard once, and every city bus becomes tap-and-go—no Mandarin, coins, or plastic card required.

🏆 Most-Cited Success Recipe

Hotel Wi-Fi

Generate Bus QR before stepping out—saves time when mobile data stalls

Rush Hour

Board via middle door if the bus has three doors—piles up slower in Beijing/Shanghai. Consider metro as faster alternative

Long Coach

Choose seats 2A/2B—front row, no wheel-well bump, more leg-room

Typhoon Days

Check Keyou app push alerts—refunds auto-processed, avoid terminal chaos

Why it helps: Pre-generated QRs bypass connectivity issues; middle doors reduce boarding friction; seat selection avoids space constraints

🔄 2025 Updates

Alipay adds foreign-card auto-deduct to 190 city bus QRs (May 2025)

No more cash backup needed for daily commuting in major cities. First ride may show a ¥0.01 pre-auth that disappears in 24 h.

Sources: Ant press-release 2025-05-07, Youtube, Reddit, X, TripAdvisor

WeChat Ride Code expands to all lines in Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi'an (Mar 2025)

Complete coverage in these major tourist destinations. Note: Xi'an airport shuttle uses separate QR.

Sources: DianPing, Xiaohongshu, Youtube, Reddit, TripAdvisor

Keyou 客运 launches full English UI + email verification (Jan 2025)

No more +86 SMS requirement—international email signup now works

Sources: X, TripAdvisor, Tiktok, Youtube, Reddit

Beijing rolls out 5 GHz bus Wi-Fi on BRT trunk lines (Jun 2025)

Faster Wi-Fi for generating QR codes on the go

Sources: Reddit, Xiaohongshu, DianPing, Tiktok, Youtube

⚠️ Common Issues & Fixes

QR turns red / "Invalid QR Code"

Quick fix: Regenerate (valid for 5 min only) → max brightness → rescan

QR codes expire quickly and can fail due to poor lighting conditions or phone display issues.

Alipay asks for Chinese ID when generating QR

Quick fix: Tap "Passport" in KYC pop-up → upload photo page

Some cities still require identity verification for transport QR codes even with linked foreign cards. See Alipay guide for troubleshooting.

Card declined on coach booking app

Quick fix: Check if you hit ¥10k daily cap or phone set to low-power mode. Switch to WeChat Pay if needed.

Some coach booking platforms have stricter foreign card validation than transport QR codes.

Wrong bus stop name in map apps

Quick fix: Check the Chinese characters—Pinyin duplicates exist

Multiple stops may have similar Pinyin names but completely different Chinese characters and locations.

Coach overbooked / "No available seats"

Quick fix: Tap "Refund/Change" in Keyou within 2h; or buy standing-ticket at counter

During holidays and peak seasons, some operators oversell. Standing tickets are legal on some routes.

QR shows red if screen dimmed

Quick fix: Max brightness + regenerate QR → rescan

Scanner needs high contrast to read QR codes properly. Auto-brightness often isn't enough.

Play Store blocked / App Store region = CN

Quick fix: Install WeChat/Alipay before you land or via VPN/HK-exit eSIM

Bus mini-programs hide English toggle when downloaded from Chinese app stores.

Battery saver kills QR cache

Quick fix: Whitelist WeChat/Alipay in battery settings

Apps need background refresh to cache QR codes offline. Low-power mode disables this feature.

🔄 Backup Travel Plans

🚇

Metro + Taxi Combo

For last-mile coverage

• Use when bus ends early
• More reliable timing
• Weather-independent option
• See metro guide for details

🚄

High-Speed Rail

For inter-city trips under 1,000 km

• Faster than buses
• More comfortable seating
• See HSR guide for details

🚗

Didi Inter-city Carpool

For same-day regional travel

• Mini-program available
• Share costs with others
• Door-to-door service
• See DiDi guide for setup

🛠️ Technical Notes

• City-bus fares: flat ¥1–3 (tier-3 cities), distance tiers ¥2–8 on BRT; QR auto-deducts via Alipay/WeChat.

• Tap-off systems: Shenzhen, Guangzhou BRT need a second scan on exit; miss it → max fare.

• Refund rules (coach): 90% refund ≥ 48h before; 80% 24–48h; 50% < 24h.

• Luggage allowance: city bus ≤ 30kg & ≤ 160cm sum; hard cases > 0.6 m may be refused on ordinary buses; coach hold ≤ 30kg free.

• Insurance: coach ticket includes ¥120,000 compulsory passenger insurance.

• Hotlines: National coach hotline 12328 (press 9 for English), Beijing bus 96166 → 9, Shanghai bus 12345 → 9.

• Foreign card FX caps: ¥5 000/txn · ¥10 000/day · ¥50 000/month, ≈ 1% FX spread (Apr 2025).

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