| Trains or Buses? | |
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| Feb 24, 2007 02:12 |   |
 | In relation to travel around China my experience has been that the buses are much better than the trains. On the trains there are often many more people in a carriage than there are seats. This can be a real problem if you need to get to the loo quickly. It also means that if youre a bit late there will be no room for your luggage. Also, despite the fact that it is banned, people still smoke on the trains..usually around the toilet areas...and it filters back along the carriages. Buses on the other hand are much more tightly controlled. The numbers are restricted to seating numbers only, there is definitely no smoking and they seem to run more frequently than the trains. They also stop frequently at places where you can get meals and reasonably clean toilets. Ever seen a train toilet the morning after an overnight trip?? So, for newbies to travel in China I give the buses the thumbs up. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? |
| Feb 24, 2007 04:28 | #1 |
| Hah, if you've been on Chinese buses during Spring Festival they're sardine cans -- as long as there's space (not seats) they'll let anyone and anything on board. Most of the buses I've been on in China have drivers with unsafe, are not clean (or downright filthy) and the stops for toilets are usually very filthy ones. Plus smokers who never stop smoking on the bus. I'll pick the train any day. |
| Feb 24, 2007 04:58 | #2 |
| Wow Ellyse! Are we in the same country?? I have been on one bus that meets the conditions you talk about, (see my Pic of the pit stop in the amusement section) but I have travelled a number of times from GuangZhou to various places on overnight buses and they couldn't have been more different from the ones you describe. They have sleeping berths. They dont even let you on the bus with your shoes on! The buses are spotless, they provide you with water, clean bedding, definitely no smoking, and the stops I have been to have been quite clean with a large variety of foods available. The drivers were great with a spare driver sleeping while the other worked. They have a hostess who will assist with any request. Perhaps this kind of service is only available in the larger cities? I have also been on the tourist trap buses which dont leave till they're full, but thats another story all together. On the other hand my train experiences have not been good. Overcrowded and very soon dirty, filled with smoke and with airconditioning which really cant cope with the crowd. Maybe I need to get into the countryside a bit more? Happy training :) Steve |
| Feb 24, 2007 08:44 | #3 |
| My experience is closer to Ellyse's I think. The best buses will not carry excess passengers and are strict on smoking. On many trips men lit up, but in only a few cases did the attendant do anything. Excess passengers is the norm as far as I am concerned. Often the buses are inspected when they leave the bus station to make sure they are not overfilled, then just 100 metres down the road they pull out the plastuic seats or even wooden benches! BUT I have never travelled on a bus with sleeper seats, I guess it is harder to overfill them. Trains are harder to book in busy times, but they are generally more comfortable as you can move around. It is also easier to meet people on trains, I usually find an English corner evolves after a couple of hours as students etc come from all over the train! I use whichever is most convenient or cheaper! Cheapness has also taken me onto non aircon buses wwhere everyone smokes (yuk), we detour off the freeway to see if there are any passengers and your nose is in someone's armpit and but it's all part of seeing China! |
| Feb 24, 2007 16:36 | #4 |
| Hello there, just wanted to let you know , that I took a bus from Chongquing to Nanning, about 17 hour's, no toilet's on the bus I took, stopped evey four hour's, thank god. Being a smoker, I was of course happy, that we could smoke and so were the Chinese smoker's as well. I honestly believe that they were happy to see me light up so they could too. I think it was out of respect. Being from Canada, we are not alowed to smoke in public place's any longer but I honestly believe that the Chinese have more dam right's than I do. As for the trains, not sure about that, only what I have read here and other site's, doesn't look that bad, in fact I think it would be good experience. |
| Mar 5, 2007 05:58 | #5 |
| I guess I've just been lucky so far when it comes to buses! Smoking is the one things that I try to avoid if at all possible. I don't mind people killing themselves but I really dont like to become a victim of their habit. I realise that smoking is endemic around China as is spitting. Those are really the two things that I dislike about Travelling in China. I can walk around the spittle on the sidewalks, but it is impossible to escape the smoke on trains etc. In most other respects I just love it! |
| Mar 5, 2007 20:30 | #6 |
| In general I would recommend buses for short trips less than say 5 or 6 hours, trains for anything longer. Yes, Chetwynd, there are many good buses that match your description. The buses between Taiyuan and Beijing are a good example, and the bus I took from Kunming to Jinghong wasn't too bad..... Well, if you ignore the annoying passenger to my left who got motion sickness everytime we hit a straight stretch of road (honestly! She was fine on the curvy sections!) and the fact that the highway from Simao south was still under construction. But I've also seen plenty of buses that match your description of the trains. |
| Mar 5, 2007 20:39 | #7 |
| And it seems all your experience of trains is limited to hard seat. I agree, hard seat is one of the circles of hell. But soft seat and the two sleeper classes all have strictly enforced passenger limits and smokers are only allowed to light up at the ends of the carriage. Hard sleeper is a perfectly good, comfortable way to travel, especially if your trip is longer than 6 or 7 hours and/or overnight. Try for a sleeper ticket next time, you'll be surprised at how good the trains can be. |
| Mar 6, 2007 06:04 | #8 |
| It’s all a matter of CLASS and CLIENTELE If you can afford it you get a better level of comfort if not you just get the basics. I have pretty well experienced the lot here, except the first class sleeper coaches which are on offer in the some of the more popular tourist routes. I’ve had two other sleeper bus experiences, one broke down and pretty well left all the passengers stranded. I got looked after but it took all day and a few phone calls to a friend to translate. The second was comfortable but the guys smoked up the back as did the drivers. I usually take hard and soft sleeper trains and I have no complaints, even on the one with no air-conditioning. I just sat by the open window the whole time I wasn’t asleep and the smokers at least went to the end of the carriage. Never been on a truly overcrowded one but had to sit up for five hours one night but it was comfortable. Buses on the other hand – Fast Air-conditioned buses are rather luxurious and police the no smoking but get in the rural areas and you need to get on first and pick a good seat or you are pretty well left smoking with the rest of the crew. Not always comfortable but I have experienced a few who have abstained from smoking too much especially while the bus is stationery but only when asked. I also exercise my rights to choose not to smoke everyone else’s foul smoke emissions in especially confined spaces. Again, I highly recommend buses for less than 5/6 hours and trains or planes for anything longer. There are sometimes some great discounts on flights which makes taking a train or bus senseless. |
| Mar 7, 2007 05:54 | #9 |
| Thanks for all the interesting comments. It seems that whichever mode of transport one chooses it is like a lucky dip as to what you end up getting. Like I said the buses I have taken from Guanzhou to various locations have been amongst the best I have seen in any country. I suppose in a perfect world all buses and trains would ban all smoking...no exceptions..but the nature of the way things are structured in China, and the enormous numbers of people who need to be moved mean that travel is likely to be a lucky dip for some time to come. In fact it is this kind of unknown that makes travelling here so different and interesting. I havent managed to find any really cheap flights in China. In fact I find the cost of air travel quite expensive compared to Australia for example. Any info as to where to look for these cheap flights? Also...what kind of airlines are we looking at here? Safety issues etc?? Any information would be most welcome. |
| Mar 7, 2007 06:15 | #10 |
| Cheap flights can be to anywhere almost anytime, usually just before or just after the peak holiday periods or to and from major destinations when the demand is low. Flights here on average for the distances covered are denerally much cheaper than other countries. I.e where can you spend approx 2 hours for not much more that AU$100 You'll have to ask around and get friends to keep you informed or just get lucky when you are travelling somewhere. It could be the time of day but I find Air China does a lot of discounting. All of the Chinese Airlines seem to be SAFE. We don't hear of many accidents considering the amount of flights throughout the country each day. And most airlines have pretty new fleets of planes. |
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