Big Bus Tours Shanghai Reviews 201

I liked the idea and the workers were nice. However, I spent as much time waiting for the bus as I did sight seeing. The bus tended to run more like every 45 min to and hour. But you could not be sure of the time so you jut had to stand there and wait. If you were not standing there the bus would drive right by. I found myself waiting 30 min to an hour each and everytime I left the bus to sight see.

First, on the web page, you said that I can redeem my tickets with your agents at bus stops. However, I did not find any person helping me on stops like Xintiandi, East Nanjing Rd. There was not even a bus stop post at Xintiandi. I just knew the bus stop because I got off there.
Second, your bus stop agent needs some serious improvement in English. The person working at Pudong stop could not communicate with me at all, and couldn't explain to me what I needed to do in order to redeem my tickets. I resolved the problem after calling the service center, but the international call that I had to make to call the center cost me more than 20 dollars, and so much of our time.
Third, I know how aggressive the people in Shanghai drive, but the bus drivers were like speed racers and wouldn't care for any safety of tourists or pedestrians. The whole ride was like a crazy racing and everyone was surprised and frightened.
The waiting was also bad. The bus intervals are supposed to be 30 minutes but some took them very long.
The observatory deck and temple admission were good, although we did not go on a river ride.
Overall the tour was ok, but was not so pleasant. Subways are very well run and cheap in Shanghai, and I loved Shanghai Metro more than this bus.

Big bus is so convenient as it covers most tourist attractions. Price is reasonable and it includes entrance ticket to the temple, cruise & observation deck which makes it even more worth it. Interval time of the bus is punctual. The staff is helpful

My son and I are Americans. We are frequent travelers in the U.S. and internationally. This was our first trip to China. We were part of an organized tour too Beijing and Shanghai with Smartours. We elected to purchase the Big Bus Shanghai two day tour package in lieu of buying the organized tours packages after we found them to be more like organized "buy here trips" when we were in Beijing. Luckily, we found the online purchase of the Big Bus tours the best value and experience we had during out entire trip. The packages included passes to the Jade Budda Temple, an 80 floor business district observation deck access and a most fabulous night cruise. What deal! We also found the employees to speak great English and very, very friendly and accommodating in every respect. The on bus eight language headphone recording system was spot on every times. The freedom over two days to export independently and to have ready transportation over 22 stops was amazing. Thank you Big Bus! You will see more of us where ever we travel again! Timothy

I used the tour only for a day which I had and must say that it worked nearly perfectly. It is a very convenient way to see all the major sight seeing spots in Shanghai. The commentary is very informative and one feels quite familiar with Shanghai once all the three tours are completed. One can even pick up some deep insights and tit bits about life in Shanghai.

There is one shortcoming which I am sure Big Bus Tours than correct. The buses are not very punctual, something which I never faced when I took Big-bus hop on hop off tours in Europe. The buses also stopped at some spots for much longer than necessary, which is why they probably got delayed. This is the only reason why I gave one star less in my rating and I hope that the same will be corrected at the earliest.

The booking system was very convenient and I did not have any trouble in finding the stops, thanks to the excellent Map which is given to every traveler. I would recommend this tour to all my friends!

We really enjoyed the services that the Big Bus provided. I bought our tickets on line for a specific day and we made our way to the Big Bus tour loop at Peoples Square on the Metro. The employees welcomed us and exchanged our voucher for tickets, earphones and map. He explained everything very well in English so that we understood the tour, he also wrote times on the map so that we were aware of the last times to get on the bus to get home. This tour is very efficient to see all that Shanghai has to offer, we were able to complete all we wanted in one day, and the second day is free if you wish to do so. Good service for a fair price --- I would definitely recommend this group, very accommodating!!!

Although this was a fantastic way to see Shanghai we had a couple of problems along the way. Firstly, we found it hard to find the Stop closest to our hotel by looking at their map. A few extra signs and a more unique look for the Bus Stops would probably help but once we got used to it all was OK. The first Stop we boarded at was not a major Stop and therefore not staffed. We hopped on and the non-English speaking driver ushered us on without looking at our paperwork and giving us headphones so we sat upstairs a bit bewildered and hopped off at the next major Stop where staff were processing paperwork, offering headsets and giving a set time for our included cruise. "Be back here at 5pm today". We had a great day hopping on and off and returned at 5pm for the cruise. We waited with the crowd till about 5.45pm and were then put on a bus and taken to a wharf on the Pudong side of the river and then waited at the terminal a further 40 minutes with no information at all about what to expect and how long the whole process would take. We were then put on a large cruise boat and herded into a dining room and offered a buffet dinner which was lovely but the room wasn't big enough to seat even half the people. Many chose not to eat preferring to find a position on deck for the cruise. We followed the queue and filled a plate but had nowhere to sit and eat it till a staff member found a couple of chairs and propped them by a window so we could use the window ledge for our plate. The cruise then got underway and we watched all the city lights and sites along the Huangpu River from one of the decks on this gorgeous Autumn night. We sailed up the river and back again arriving back at the terminal at about 9.15pm. After disembarking our next challenge was to find the right bus in a car park full of buses, none of which were marked as BIG BUS tours and no BB staff to be seen. Funny looking back now but confusing at the time. - complete lack of information and direction. We joined a bus which got us back to the start point and a 10 minute walk saw us back at our hotel around 10pm that night - what an adventure! So glad we hadn't made plans. Next day we thought we'd use our Jinmao Tower tickets so took the Sightseeing Tunnel under the river early, and found the first BB Stop on the Pudong side. Luckily a BB staff member turned up and saved us waiting an hour informing us that the Pudong route didn't start till 10am. So we walked the couple of stops to the tower and enjoyed fantastic views of Shanghai. All in all, quite the adventure, and in hindsight we should have printed off as much info as possible including route times as well as the map. But nothing could have prepared us for the cruise as there was no information about it at all.

Almost everything was great but the time between buses is quite long, the app should be work without internet or have internet in the bus, and the timetable should start earlier, finish later or both.

Unfortunately we were on the Sapphire Princess and it could not dock due to Typhoon, so we had paid for this tour and did not get to see Shanghai. May be next time.

The Big Bus was a great way to see Shanghai, but as the buses only ran every half hour, we often just missed one, then if we changed to a different colour route we'd just miss one again. The free river cruise was great, but it would have been nice to know that the cruise didn't go until 6.40pm, although the pick up was 5pm and that there was a free meal, as many people we spoke to had eaten beforehand.

It is the best way to see Shanghai. I have used it earlier in 2011 also and had no complaints. This time, however, it was the National Holiday Week & they just could not cope with the crowds. The buses were horribly overcrowded. The should have stopped selling tickets once they reached full capacity.

The negatives. Had to change seats several times before we could find a working connection for our headsets.Bus would not stop long enough at some stations to disembark.We were looking forward to the ferry trip as part of the package but were not pleased to be informed on arrival that there was only one trip available and it was late in the day.We were informed bus would be leaving in 20 mins returned in 15 mins to find out bus had already departed.Overall not good value and would not recommend.

Delays at stops are boring

This was a very efficient way to see some of the sites of Shanghai.

I enjoyed the tour and is very convenient. You can visit the most important places in Shanghai and also is cheap.
I recommend this

I bought the combination Red, Blue and Green ticket and found each trip to be well worth the price. It was hot in Shanghai, and just being able to get back on an air-conditioned bus and ride for a while - after walking around at each stop - was so nice. Each colored line goes to different places - so you need to try each one. The people at the kiosk do a good job of directing you to the right buses. Had a bit of a mishap as the blue bus was in an accident (not the bus driver's fault) but the next blue bus picked us up and we continued. One suggestion - you should mention that the river cruise (included in the price of the ticket) is only at 5:30 pm - so I missed it. Other than that - I very much enjoyed the tours!

I found this tour rather frustrating, we spent a lot of time waiting for the bus to fill up at more than one stop! The drivers were surly and unhelpful. We waited at an advertised bus stop, only to have two bus' whizz past us.
I live in this city now so I am familiar with the place but if I were a tourist I'd have felt lost and intimidated.
The commentary repeated it's self a lot.
If the tour had run smoothly for us we would now be saying that it was good value. I guess I will try another company when I visit a new city.

The Big Bus Tour gives you a lot of bang for your buck. For roughly $36.00USD, I was able to get a 48 hour pass, that included a bus a tour of the highlights of Shanghai, entrance to the Jade Temple, Jin Mao Tower Observatory, and River Boat Cruise/Ride.

We started our tour at the Huaihai lu stop #18, where there were no signs or people from the Big Bus company to tell us if we were at the right waiting or stopping point. So I tried asking the local stores and no one knew of this Bus. So I got very nervous. We waited about 30 minutes and the bus arrived.

The bus was big, comfortable seats, they gave us free headphones to listen to the audio (the guided tour), and the people spoke relatively good English. The fact they spoke English was very important. Once on the bus we drove through the scenic areas and saw Shanghai's beautiful architecture, Green leaf tree lined streets, and some old traditional Chinese architecture. We really enjoyed the bus ride sitting on the roof of a double decker open bus.

We arrived at Jade Buddha Temple, and used the passes included within our ticket purchase and looked around the beautiful temple for about 30 to 40 minutes. We were told to come back where they dropped us off for the next bus, and so we did, we waited an additional 30 minutes and finally the bus came and took us through the rest of Shanghai. Ending our first half of the 48 Hour pass on a pleasant note.

However, the next day was a completely different story. We decide to go to the stop where the bus had dropped us off, near Yuyuan Garden, stop # 7 for the redline/ #15 for the blue. Once again no stop signs, no advertisements, or people from the Big Bus tour were there to let us know we were at the correct stop. We waited for almost 40 minutes, and finally saw a bus, I tried flagging it down and it refused to stop. Which is really frustrating since there is no obvious address or sign to tell us where to wait. After another 30 minutes of waiting without seeing a bus we walked to Stop #6/#11, once again no signs, no people, and based on the map we believed we were at the correct stop. We saw a bus drive by, I tried to get its attention but it drove right past us. Another 20 minutes later another bus drove by, I flagged it down waving my arms like crazy in the air and the guy refused to stop for us. By now, we have waited for almost 2 hours for a bus, and my in laws who are in their late 60's and early 70's were getting tired of standing in the heat.

So, due to our in ability to have a bus stop for us, we walked to the next stop, stop #10/#5. Where I finally met someone with a Big Bus Tour shirt and asked if there was a bus near by for us to take so we can see Pudong. The man and woman kindly showed me the bus, I asked my in laws to sit and wait for me while I spoke with them. I told Sara, that we waited for the bus at two other stops but the bus refused to pick us up. I told her that your company needed to give proper addresses, post a sign, or have people at those stops to tell us that we are at the correct stopping point. She apologized and then asked what else we were planning to do, and I told her I wanted more information for the boat ride that is suppose to happen at 5:50pm, and she looked at me confused and then made a phone call, speaking in Mandarin, it seemed there was some miscommunication. It turned out the boat ride was for yesterday's half of the trip. Today's half included the Jin Mao Tower, I was very upset. Not only did I wait around all afternoon for a bus, but now there is no boat cruise today. She was kind enough to let me know that I can use the pass for the boat ride anytime and that I just needed to call prior to arriving for the ride. The remainder of the trip was splendid, we went to The Jin Mao Tower, spent an hour or so there, drove through Pudong, and enjoyed the other half of the city.

In conclusion, The Big Bus Tour, has friendly people and staff, an great inclusive tour for foreigners, and is an enjoyable trip worth taking again. I simply wish that they would update their website and provide addresses for their stopping points/pick up points. I wish that the bus that drove past us, would communicate to the staff that there are people at the wrong stop or something, to help get on our way and enjoy the tour without wasting majority of the day trying to get a bus to pick us up. I wish that their maps, had proper addresses for the stopping point/pick up points. Lastly, I wish that their maps, had street names and street signs, so we knew where we were. I feel we waste majority of our time trying find or wait for a bus that doesn't stop. Yet, once on the bus, the trip was amazing, the people are wonderful, and I would highly recommend this for others. I just wish for a few subtle changes.

Thanks!

We got on the bus on June 14 at the Jing'an Temple (Green Line #19). No one was at this station to give us our vouchers, maps, or headphones. The driver completely bypassed stop #20 and went straight to stop #21 - Jade Buddha Temple. Again, there was no one at this stop to provide us our vouchers, maps or headphones. We called Big Bus and were told that the person was at lunch and would be back in 30 minutes. The next bus didn't show up until almost an hour later. The person gave us our vouchers, but didn't have any maps or headphones. After visiting the Jade Buddha Temple, we got back on the bus and got off at stop #22 - Wu Jiang Road. Again, the driver almost passed the stop, only letting us off after we yelled at him. Again, there was no one at this stop so we just took a taxi home as we didn't feel like touring anymore.

On June 15, we got on at The World Financial Centre (Blue Line #13). Again, no one was there to provide headphones or maps. We rode the bus back to stop #10. Finally, there was someone at this stop with maps, but still no headphones. We asked this person about the cruises, and they told us that we could not get on a cruise on Sunday. We were pretty upset, since we did this same tour in March and did a cruise on a Sunday evening. We decided to take the Red Line to stop #7 to check on the cruises anyways. Good thing we did since we were able to book our spots on the cruise for that evening.

Lastly, I want to complain about the drivers. Living in Shanghai, I've come to expect crazy driving, but feel that tour groups like this should do a better job at driving safely. Also, the drivers need to stop at each stop on the tour, and provide enough time for all passengers to safely exit the bus, especially those riding on the top of the bus. Several times the bus drivers would start to pull away while people were walking up and down the stairs either getting off or just getting on. This is completely unsafe. Also, you need to have more people at the stops to provide the vouchers, maps and have enough headphones for the customers. They also need to be trained to know all about the tours since we would have missed the cruise had we listened to the person who told us we couldn't get on one on a Sunday.

We really enjoyed the routes we took on the Big Bus. One problem we had was that the bus didn't stop long enough for us to get off once we heard the stop on our commentary from the top of the bus.