New Shuttle Bus Spares West Lake Tourists a Mountain Climb
A new shuttle bus service at Hangzhou’s iconic West Lake scenic area is saving tourists from an unexpected mountain climb, after viral social media posts revealed that navigation apps were directing visitors on a grueling uphill hike to reach the nearest metro station. The “Beishan Street Shuttle Bus” began trial operations on May 23, directly connecting the Huanglongdong Metro Station to key West Lake attractions along Beishan Street, according to CCTV News.
The Problem: A Navigation Nightmare
Tourists navigating to “Huanglongdong Metro Station” — the closest station to West Lake’s north shore — were directed by GPS apps to walk approximately 1.6 kilometers. What the apps did not reveal was that the route requires climbing over Baoshi Mountain (Gem Mountain), a scenic hill with hundreds of steps and a roughly 30-minute trek.
Multiple tourists posted videos on Chinese social media showing themselves struggling with luggage while climbing the mountain. “I followed the navigation, but nobody told me this road requires mountain climbing! I can handle uphill slopes, but this is literally climbing a mountain!” one frustrated visitor wrote, as reported by QQ News.
The posts quickly went viral, sparking widespread discussion and media coverage. Local outlet 都市快报 (City Express) picked up the story, and within days, the Hangzhou Public Transport Group took action.
A Swift Solution
On May 23, just days after the social media outcry, the “Beishan Street Shuttle Bus” (北山街接驳线) began trial operations. The service runs as a one-way loop starting from Huanglongdong Metro Station (Exit C), traveling along Shuguang Road, Baochu Road, and Beishan Street before returning to Huanglongdong. Key stops include the Provincial Government Building West, Geling (serving the Broken Bridge scenic area), Xinxin Hotel, and Yuefen (Yue Fei Temple).
Jia Shanshan (郏姗姗), Deputy Captain of the BRT Team at Hangzhou Public Transport Trolley Bus Company, explained the service’s purpose: “Considering that out-of-town tourists are unfamiliar with the routes, and are exhausted after sightseeing, to avoid tourists carrying luggage up the mountain to reach the metro station, we specially launched this shuttle line,” she told Hangzhou News.
The shuttle operates on weekends and public holidays from late morning to late afternoon, with departures every 10–15 minutes. During peak periods, frequency is dynamically adjusted based on demand.
Overwhelming First-Day Response
The service proved immediately popular. On its first day of trial operation, over 100 passengers rode the shuttle in the morning alone, and by the end of the day, more than 500 people had used the service to reach Huanglongdong Metro Station, Jia Shanshan confirmed.
By the evening of May 23, both Baidu Maps and Gaode Maps (Amap) had already added the shuttle bus to their public transit routing options, ensuring that future visitors would be directed to the convenient alternative rather than the mountain path.
Tourists interviewed at the scene welcomed the new service. Xiao Wu, a visitor from Henan traveling with his wife and 8-month-old baby, told reporters he regretted not checking for a bus when exiting the metro station. Ms. Li, visiting from Northeast China with her elderly parents, suggested adding on-site maps showing the route direction and stops to help older passengers.
Broader Significance
The story has been framed by CCTV News as part of its “民生一件事” (One Matter of People’s Livelihood) series, which highlights concrete improvements in public services. The rapid response — from social media posts to service launch in approximately one to two weeks — demonstrates responsive governance at the municipal level.
Hangzhou has a track record of innovative public transport solutions for its tourism sector, including previous flower-viewing shuttle buses and extensive metro-bus transfer systems. The Beishan Street Shuttle Bus represents a rapid-response approach to a specific, citizen-identified problem, and could serve as a template for other Chinese tourist cities facing similar accessibility challenges.
What to Watch For
As the service continues its trial phase, several questions remain. Will the shuttle be expanded to weekdays if demand warrants it? Could similar services be introduced at other scenic spots in Hangzhou or other Chinese cities? And importantly, will navigation apps adjust their pedestrian routing algorithms to account for elevation and accessibility factors in the future?
For now, visitors to West Lake can enjoy the scenic area without the unexpected mountain detour — a small but meaningful improvement to one of China’s most beloved tourist destinations.