Night shuttle bus at Pudong Airport, Shanghai

Question

In three weeks I have a two-day transit at Pudong Airport Shanghai. I have booked a hotel downtown (nearby Nanjing road). I will be landing at 11:20 pm and I am thinking to take the night bus described here.

In the site, in the paragraph about bus lines, it explains that:

Services have been cut since the introduction of the metro, which also avoids the unpredictable delays of traffic. Call 021-68346612 for up-to-date information.

1. I wonder how updated this information is.

2. If there are still buses running, how long would it take to take me to the Middle Zhejiang Road stop?

3. If you have experience taking this bus, any other useful information such as where to buy the ticket and so.

Answer 1

I took the night bus past AM 1:30 this March. There are many buses available, all taking different routes. The price is about 15 to 30 RMB depending on the route.

The bus stops at many stops and it would likely take 50 to 120 minutes from the Airport to the Nanjing road. The exact time depends on the route and traffic, and I don't recommend you to rely on the time.

However, while the buses should be running, the exact stop you want to get off at might be changing. I recommend you to prepare for a few alternative stops near your destination, in order to avoid unwanted hassels (esp since you might need VPN and/or you could not buy a SIM card at the airport).

Once you get on the bus and everyone is at the seat, a conductor comes to you to charge it. Only cash is available (at least no one used AliPay).

Answer 2

Yes, this bus should still be running. I checked multiple Chinese language websites, including the Shanghai Airport official website, and all state that this line is still running. The last bus departs 45 minutes after the last arriving flight lands, and you should indeed be able to stop at the Zhejiang Middle Road stop.

I have never taken the PVG airport bus, but Baidu Maps tells me that it takes around 2 hours. If you hail a taxi, it would be much faster, but also much more expensive (~150-160 RMB) - nothing too unreasonable, though.

（Note: all links link to Chinese language websites.)