By Wu Ningning

Jolting and jerking from low gears to high, the Beijing bus will take you anywhere your heart desires.

The horn goes beep, beep, beep. The signal goes blink, blink, blink. The motor goes zoom, zoom, zoom.

The bus runs all through the town.

Hasty passengers, like you and me, go up and down, noticing the direction rather than the arcane truth of the routes.

But digging out the story of the route beneath the four wheels is more meaningful than you might imagine.

No. 300 - passes the most flyovers

Thrusting between the traffic and up wide open flyovers, No. 300 runs through the 3rd Ring Road making 33 stops. It passes through 21 flyovers, from Sanyuan Qiao to Cao Qiao. So it’s no surprise most of its stop names include qiao (bridge).

No. 936 - every 24 hours

No. 936 is the only bus that takes you from Beihuqu to Xibeiwang. Unfortunately, it comes only once every 24 hours, which means if you go there today, you have to come back tomorrow. Worse, if you plan to head off there on the weekend, you should prepare to spend the whole weekend on there: No. 936 only runs on workdays.

No. 635 - the greenest bus

The lure of No. 635, without a doubt, can be attributed to its green drenched line. Especially when the bus trudges slowly along the East Gulou Road, the trees begin to come up to the window. Behind this dark green screen birds buzz lazily over neat shiny bushes soaking up the sunshine. You can hear nature breathing deeply and freely.

No. 347 - the mountain climber

Roaring past Nan Ping Zhuang, No. 347 starts to go uphill. The bus driver is ready to drive at full speed to give the bumbling, vibrating machine a “physical lift”. Then there is a spring in its step when heading back downhill. Nevertheless, you cannot catch the bus on a snowy day, because riding this “rollercoaster” on frozen ground is too dangerous.

No. 540 - the shortest route

As a newly opened bus line, No. 540 is the shortest bus line in town. From the departure station to the terminal, you only need to spend seven minutes. The total length is equivalent to that of six standard soccer fields.

No. 331 - the gossip’s bus

It’s human nature to tell stories. But finding the right place in Beijing to overhear the story, to some extent, is mission impossible. Luckily we have No. 331 and its gossiping passengers. After stopping in Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills), the bus warmly embraces throngs of chattering elders. From politics to the economy, rumors to domestic trivia, rivers of words flow choppily through the air, often clogged with hot discussion. A real conversation is never sparked, but your journey is still beguiled with spirited talk.

No. 55 - the narrowest road

Driving the No. 55 is more exciting than the heart-thumping rides at Disneyworld. It always
challenges the driving skill of the driver. As the bus runs to Denei Dajie (德内大街) or Liuhai Hutong, the outside lane narrows suddenly. Accordingly, a traffic jam is unavoidable. The driver drives carefully for fear of crashing. The skill of his or her balance, concentration and reaction time is fully tested.

No. 929 - the dangerous bus

Following a rather bumpy mountain road, it tough for No. 929 to reach its destination at Mentougou. As the bus turns the corner, colliding with a van is common. So for anyone who wants to be bus driver of this route, seasoned driving experience, no traffic violations and a driving license for the mountains are necessary. Of course, you’re better being over-qualified.

No. 728 - the straightest route

Stretching from east (South Gucheng Road) to the west (Wuyi Garden) of the old city, No. 728 points ahead without any turns. So it has the straightest bus route in the Beijing Public Transport Map.

No. 934 - Beijing bus but not in Beijing

Boarding the bus from Gu’an to Bazhou, your entire trip is in Hebei Province. Strangely, your ticket still glitters with the symbol of Beijing Bus. The ticket might not know where it is, but that’s ok as long as you remember you’re in Hebei.

No. 375 - almost a school bus

No. 375 is a school bus. Passing through Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Film Academy, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing Language and Culture University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, the bus circles nearly all the famous universities of Beijing. Students come and go. Various accents and languages permeate the air as they tell tales of their campus life and share their intellectual views. The bus, therefore, has become a hugely popular hangout of students quite by accident.