As we are only in China temporarily, and didn’t come with big, international jobs, we do not have an automobile here. As such we must rely on other forms of transportation to go to and fro. We use three different modes, all of which have pros and cons: the subway system, city buses, and taxis.

Shanghai has an excellent subway system that connects a great deal of the city to itself. The trains are fast and clean, they run often and on time. They are heated and air conditioned to create a reasonable temperature inside no matter the weather outside. They are well trafficked by security so that there is no danger of violence or much thievery.

They do get quite crowded during peak periods which makes me feel a bit like a giant sardine stuffed into a very small can. But this can be expected with any large city's public transportation. The price is very reasonable and they have a card system that makes paying for your ride simple and easy. Basically you purchase a reusable card that is swiped at automatic toll gates which automatically deducts money from your card. Money can be added to the cards at any subway entrance.

The only real drawback to the subway is that there isn’t one within walking distance of my apartment. To get to the subway I have to take a cab or ride a bus. I still use the subway, though, whenever I need to travel a good distance as it remains much cheaper for long rides than a taxi, and less problematic than a bus.

The public bus system also seems to be a well-oiled machine, but it is rare that we take one. As with the subways, the buses get very full during peak times. But where on a subway the squished ride is relatively painless and short, riding on a packed bus is all sorts of awful. Subway rides are pretty smooth going, but buses have to deal with the roads and the traffic, which causes lots of bumping and smashing into one another. Unless you are going a short distance, bus rides are a lot longer too, adding to the pain exponentially.

There’s that, and the fact that the wife and I have yet to figure out the whole bus system. We don’t really know which bus to take nor where to get off for the places we’d take a bus for, and thus we don’t take it at all. Or very often anyway.