The clean, efficient Shanghai metro currently comprises two lines, although the third and fourth lines should be completed by 2000, and the city government has already approved the construction of three additional lines. Its futuristic design sharply resembles Hong Kong's MTR metro for a reason: both systems were created by the same firm. Line #1 runs from the main train station in the north, by Renmin Park and the Shanghai Museum, and then turns west along Huaihai Lu. Line #2, opened on October 1, 1999, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, starts in Zhongshan in the north, intersects with the first line at Renmin Park, and travels under the Huangpu River to Pudong. The third line will connect Xu Jia Hui in the southwest with the northeastern suburbs. Tickets cost ¥3-4 depending on the distance travelled and are bought from ticket machines. As yet there are no travel passes for tourists.

 

Local buses run everywhere, but suffer from three serious defects: they are unbelievably crowded, especially during the early morning and late evening rush hours; they are extremely slow owing to the grotesque traffic congestion in the city; and few lines run the long distances needed to travel from one side of the city to the other. They operate from around 4am to 10.30pm, although each line has its own schedule. Bus maps, available from hotels, CITS offices and most subway stations, mark the widely separated stops with a small dot. Fares are generally ¥1 for regular buses and ¥2 for air-conditioned ones; buy your ticket from the conductor on the bus. Carrying exact change will eliminate a lot of hassle.

Taxis are very easy to get hold of and, if you're not on a very tight budget, they are often the most comfortable way to get around - fares usually come to between ¥20 and ¥40 for rides within the city. Few drivers speak English, so it will help to have your destination written in Chinese. The only kind of hassle you're likely to suffer is from drivers who take you on unnecessarily long detours, but if you sit in the front seat and hold a map on your lap they will usually be persuaded to behave themselves. However, very late at night, conventions change - meters are often switched off and you may have to negotiate the fare, or at least tell the driver "da biao", meaning turn on the meter. Starting fares between 11pm and 5am are about thirty percent higher than at other times.

To cross the Huangpu River over to the Pudong, the cheapest way is to take the very frequent double-decker ferry from the central part of the Bund, next to the prominent riverside Diamond Restaurant. The lower deck gives a more interesting feel of how crowded these waterways are. Buy a plastic token for ¥0.8 at the jetty. A cable car and pedestrian walkway running from the Bund to Pudong are in the planning stages of development, due for completion in 2002.

For anyone adventurous enough to brave China's anything-goes driving culture, Shanghai has taken its first steps into the car rental market. At the airport, Angel Car Rental will fix you up with a temporary licence (a translation of your foreign licence) and rent you a car on the spot for around ¥400 per day. Bear in mind, however, that Shanghai's traffic is slow-moving at the best of times, and you may not be allowed to drive your car beyond the city limits - your car will have a special licence plate that police can instantly recognise.