Foreign visitors are not encouraged to drive cars in China. Foreign residents can bring their own cars into the country but this involves a huge bureaucratic effort. Expat drivers may need a physical examination and a written exam of local traffic rules to obtain a local licence from the vehicle administrative department (VAD) under the Municipal Public Security Bureau. They must already possess a valid International Driving Permit. The licence is temporary for residents staying less than a year, permanent if longer. To obtain it, they must present their original driving licence and a translated version, passport and local residence certificate.

All foreign visitors who want to travel within China by car are advised to hire a car with a local driver.

Emergency breakdown service: There is no breakdown service in China. Drivers have to rely on assistance from other passing vehicles.

Routes to the city: Main routes out of Shanghai are denoted by city names such as the Shanghai-Nanjing Highway. The Shanghai-Beijing Expressway provides a (relatively) fast artery to the north. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which has the world's longest cross-sea span, connects Shanghai to Ningbo. It opened in May 2008 and has cut the drive between the two cities from four hours to 150 minutes. There are fast-improving road links to Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and most of the other regional centres.

Coach services: Coach and bus travel can be very slow, but are improving as domestic travel increases. Nevertheless, bus tickets are cheaper than rail fares and, as the number of services increases, more readily available. There are many service providers, including Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corporation (tel: (21) 5651 3313). Information on coach travel is available from a passenger information and complaint hotline (tel: (21) 3424 1999). There are few facilities at the bus stations and travellers should purchase tickets in person at the ticket office. There are many bus stations around the city, but the main hub is across from the Shanghai Stadium, 666 Tianyaoqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6426 5558) - where buses leave frequently for several local and long-distance locations. In the north, the key station is Hengfeng Lu Bus Station, 270 Hengfeng Lu (tel: (21) 6317 3912), which has buses for Nanjing, Ningbo and Wuxi. In the south, Xujiahui Bus Station, Hongqiao Lu (tel: (21) 6469 7325), located behind Grand Gateway, has departures to Nanjing and Yangzhou.