Transport and the shape of the city in Shanghai

The metro and transit payment

The Shanghai metro is one of the largest networks in the world, clean, air-conditioned and signed in English, with distance-based fares that are cheap by any standard. You can use a physical transport card, but almost everyone now taps in with a QR code generated in the metro's own app or in Alipay. Security screening at every station entrance means allowing a couple of extra minutes at peak times.

• Transit QR codes work through Alipay or the metro operator's app.
• Physical transport cards are still sold and useful as a fallback.
• Bag screening at every entrance — factor it into the commute.
• The network closes around 22:30 to 23:00, earlier than most people expect for a city this size.

Taxis, ride-hailing and bikes

Didi is the dominant ride-hailing app and is inexpensive, with the significant advantage that you set the destination in the app rather than trying to describe it. Street taxis are metered and plentiful, but many drivers speak no English, so have the address in Chinese characters ready. Shared bicycles are everywhere, unlocked by QR code, and are genuinely the fastest way to cover the last mile in the central districts.

• Didi handles the language problem; street taxis do not.
• Keep your home address written in Chinese characters in your phone.
• Shared bikes and e-bikes unlock by QR through the payment apps.
• Electric scooter and e-bike traffic ignores several rules you may consider fundamental — cross carefully.

Driving

Foreign and international driving permits are not valid for driving in mainland China. You need a Chinese licence, obtained by converting a foreign one through a written theory test taken at the vehicle administration office, plus a medical check. Beyond the licence, private car registration in Shanghai is constrained by a licence plate auction that makes a plate a substantial cost in its own right, which is a large part of why so few residents bother.

• An International Driving Permit does not entitle you to drive here.
• Licence conversion requires a written theory test and a medical examination.
• Shanghai licence plates are allocated by monthly auction and cost a significant sum.

Airports and intercity rail

Pudong International handles most long-haul flights and is connected by metro line 2 and by the maglev, which is fast but stops short of the centre. Hongqiao sits west of the city and combines a domestic-heavy airport with a major high-speed rail station on the same site. High-speed rail is the default for domestic travel of a few hundred kilometres — Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing are all quicker by train than by plane once you count the airport.