How to Ask About Shuttle Services in Mandarin Chinese
Learn to ask if a hotel or airport has a shuttle, find out where it leaves from, and understand its schedule using beginner-friendly Mandarin patterns.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you arrive at a Chinese airport or train station, one of the first practical questions you may need is whether a shuttle goes to your hotel. In this lesson you will learn a small set of Mandarin phrases that let you ask about shuttle buses, find the pickup point, and understand simple schedule information. You will practise the key pattern 有...吗 (yǒu... ma), which means 'Is there...?', and the question word 几点 (jǐ diǎn), which asks 'What time?'. All examples use simplified Chinese characters and pinyin with tone marks so you can read and say them accurately.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether a shuttle goes to a specific hotel or place.
- ask where the shuttle leaves from and what time it departs.
- understand a simple answer about shuttle frequency and location.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
有去酒店的车吗？
Is there a shuttle to the hotel?
yǒu qù jiǔdiàn de chē ma?
The most direct way to ask about a shuttle. 车 (chē) literally means 'vehicle', but in this context it clearly refers to a shuttle or hotel transport.
班车在哪儿？
Where is the shuttle?
bānchē zài nǎr?
班车 (bānchē) is the common word for a scheduled shuttle bus. Use this when you know a shuttle exists but need to find it.
几点发车？
What time does it depart?
jǐ diǎn fāchē?
发车 (fāchē) means 'to depart' for buses and shuttles. This question asks for the departure time.
多久一班？
How often does it run?
duōjiǔ yì bān?
This asks about frequency. 一班 (yì bān) means 'one run' or 'one departure'. A typical answer might be 半小时一班 (bàn xiǎoshí yì bān), 'one every half hour'.
是免费的吗？
Is it free?
shì miǎnfèi de ma?
Many hotel shuttles are free, but airport shuttles often charge a fee. This question checks before you board.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern 有...吗 (yǒu... ma) means 'Is there...?' or 'Do you have...?'. Put the thing you are looking for between 有 and 吗. For example, 有去酒店的车吗？ (yǒu qù jiǔdiàn de chē ma?) means 'Is there a shuttle to the hotel?'. You can replace 酒店 (jiǔdiàn, hotel) with another place: 有去机场的车吗？ (yǒu qù jīchǎng de chē ma?) means 'Is there a shuttle to the airport?'. The verb 去 (qù) means 'to go to', and the particle 的 (de) links the destination to the noun 车 (chē).
When to use it
Use 有...吗 when you are not sure whether a service exists. If you already know there is a shuttle and only need its location, use 班车在哪儿？ (bānchē zài nǎr?) instead. To ask about the schedule, use 几点发车？ (jǐ diǎn fāchē?) for the first or next departure, and 多久一班？ (duō jiǔ yì bān?) for how often it runs. At a hotel front desk, you can also say 请问，班车几点发车？ (qǐngwèn, bānchē jǐ diǎn fāchē?), adding 请问 (qǐngwèn, 'excuse me, may I ask') to sound polite.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
请问，有去酒店的车吗？
Excuse me, is there a shuttle to the hotel?qǐngwèn, yǒu qù jiǔdiàn de chē ma?有。班车在二号门。
Yes. The shuttle is at Gate 2.yǒu. bānchē zài èr hào mén.几点发车？多久一班？
What time does it depart? How often does it run?jǐ diǎn fāchē? duōjiǔ yì bān?每半小时一班，是免费的。
One every half hour, and it is free.měi bàn xiǎoshí yì bān, shì miǎnfèi de.A little context goes a long way
In mainland China, 班车 (bānchē) usually refers to a scheduled shuttle bus, such as a hotel shuttle or an airport shuttle. At hotels, staff may say 接送车 (jiēsòng chē), meaning a pick-up and drop-off vehicle. Adding 请问 (qǐngwèn) before a question is a simple way to sound polite, especially with strangers or front-desk staff.
One thing to watch for
Learners often say 有酒店车吗？ (yǒu jiǔdiàn chē ma?) and omit 去 and 的.
Try this instead: Say 有去酒店的车吗？ (yǒu qù jiǔdiàn de chē ma?). The verb 去 (qù) shows the destination, and 的 (de) connects 去酒店 to 车. Without them, the meaning becomes unclear.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you ask 'Is there a shuttle to the airport?'
Show a sample answer
有去机场的车吗？ (yǒu qù jīchǎng de chē ma?)
This uses the same 有...吗 pattern, replacing 酒店 with 机场 (jīchǎng, airport). You could also ask 有去机场的班车吗？ (yǒu qù jīchǎng de bānchē ma?) if you want to be more specific.
2You know a shuttle exists but cannot find it. What do you ask?
Show a sample answer
班车在哪儿？ (bānchē zài nǎr?)
This asks where the shuttle is. In some regions people say 班车在哪儿？ and in others 班车在哪里？ (bānchē zài nǎlǐ?); both are correct.
3How do you ask what time the shuttle departs?
Show a sample answer
几点发车？ (jǐ diǎn fāchē?)
几点 (jǐ diǎn) asks 'what time', and 发车 (fāchē) means 'to depart' for a vehicle. You can also ask 班车几点发车？ (bānchē jǐ diǎn fāchē?) for a fuller sentence.
Use 有去...的车吗？ to ask if a shuttle goes somewhere, 班车在哪儿？ to find it, and 几点发车？ to learn its departure time.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Chinese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr