We’re looking for a new ExploreMetro logo to represent our brand, and our promise to provide Asia’s best metro and subway maps! We’re using CrowdSpring, a crowd-sourced design network, to help come up with a logo idea. If you’re a designer, and you’d like to participate in the logo competition, head on over to CrowdSpring!
Michael emailed to ask “I will be visiting Shanghai … and will be using the metro system quite a bit and would like to know if they have metro transportation card that can be bought for mutiple days use or family use”
Here’s are the options:
1. 
Buy single journey tickets for 3-9RMB each depending on distance. Purchasing is pretty simple using the ticket machines which have instructions in English. Then swipe your card on the way in, and let it be swallowed on the way out.
2. 
Buy a Shanghai Public Transportation Card (ask at an information desk) for a 20RMB refundable deposit, and you can top it up with 50RMB or 100RMB increments using a recharge machine. Then just swipe your card at the ticket gates in and out. Individual trips cost the same as single tickets, though there is a 10% discount if you travel enough in a month. Also at certain “virtual interchange” stations (Shanghai Railway Station, Yishan Road, South Shaanxi Road, Hongkou Stadium) you can avoid paying for a second ticket if you have a card.
3. 
Buy a one-day pass for 18RMB, available at the airport and some information desks. Seems like a bit of a gimmick for the Expo, unless you’re using the metro for four or five trips every day, this will probably be more expensive than single tickets.
Each person needs their own ticket, you can’t share a SPTC or one-day pass between multiple people. Any more tips, do leave a comment!
According to the latest figures, over 6.5 million people (that’s 650万) are now using the Shanghai Metro each day. July 9th saw 6.527 million people pass through the entrance gates, the 12th time the daily record has been broken this year! The average daily figure during 2009 was 3.6 million, but the new lines which have opened this year have boosted attendance significantly.
After breaking through 6 million for the first time on May 21, the numbers have shot up in the first week of July, due to the extended opening hours on Line 10 and increased numbers of passengers on Expo Line 13. Both lines have seen daily numbers double since May.
By popular request, we’ll soon be including integrated Google Maps in our iPhone metro map apps for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore. Just tap on any station and choose “Street map” to see the area around the selected station. You can pan and zoom the map to see more.
If you’ve got any suggestions on this or other features, do get in touch!
Stay tuned for updates to all our apps to support Google maps over the next few weeks.
We recently submitted an update for Explore Shanghai for iPhone but encountered a snag, as we were told:
We’ve completed the review of your application, but are unable to post this version to the App Store because it includes a contest with Apple products as prizes. Apps that include such offerings incorrectly create an association with Apple, Inc.
Hmm. So now when you tell a friend about one of our apps, you can win a iPad Wii! Just tap on the Help tab in the app.
For those of you waiting anxiously for the update, Explore Shanghai 2.3 has been resubmitted (including the new Hongqiao Railway Station and extended times for Line 10) and should be available soon! Download Explore Shanghai now and you’ll receive the free update as soon as it’s approved.
We were listed in Lonely Planet’s “Top 5 China apps“!
3. Explore Metro Maps (US$0.99)
Explore puts out metro maps for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. They’re easy to use, up to date (no easy feat in Shanghai) and work offline. Very handy, especially when they’ve run out of paper maps at the stations.
Thanks for the mention guys! You can download our iPhone apps here
Congratulations to Kerstin, who has won this month’s free ticket to the Shanghai World Expo! We’re giving away a free ticket every month to users of our ExploreShanghai metro map for iPhone. We’ll give out another free ticket in June, so check out the competition and download ExploreShanghai for iPhone!
I was recently interviewed by Chris Chagnon of the China Global Times about why I created the ExploreMetro websites and apps, my love of metro maps and plans for the future 
You have a new map of the Tokyo Subway coming online this year; do you have future plans for expansion?
My plan for world domination is, of course, a secret, but my next target cities are Seoul and Taipei. There are also scores of first and second tier cities in China that are currently building metros, so I think I’m going to be busy.
Read the full article here: Tube topographer
On Friday, the Shanghai Metro company announced that daily passenger numbers had again broken the daily record, surpassing 6 million. They also provided line-by-line numbers so it’s possible to see the numbers of passengers using the different lines:
Clearly Lines 1 and 2 are the most popular, with over 1 million each. Line 4 and Line 8 are the next most popular. Of the lines which opened in 2010, Line 7 is already seeing almost half a million daily passengers.
We’re giving away five tickets to the Shanghai World Expo!
If you’ve been living in Shanghai, or planning a trip, you’ll no doubt be planning a visit to the Expo Site. Regular tickets cost 160 RMB ($23) but thanks to Explore Shanghai you could visit for free! The competition is open to anyone who uses Explore Shanghai for iPhone, available from the iTunes App Store. Explore Shanghai is a great companion for your Expo trip, it includes up-to-date information on all the new metro lines, including Line 13 directly into the Expo park.
You can download ExploreShanghai for iPhone from the iTunes App Store for just $0.99. Once you’ve downloaded, tap on the Help tab and fill in your details to be entered into the draw. You can enter once per day, and the more you enter the greater your chance of winning! We’ll announce the first lucky winner on May 31st.
Disclaimer: ExploreMetro is the sole sponsor of this Sweepstakes and Apple is not a sponsor or responsible for this Sweepstakes.
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