And that was how I did it in SFO as well. Obviously it was English, and while I am fluent in Mandarin, I definitely do not understand Shanghainese except for "da guai" and "xiao guai".

Since 70% of the local population doesn't speak more than basic Shanghainese anyway, that shouldn't be a problem.:)

I have added a picture depicting the precise location for the #2 bus in the OP of this thread.

What about coming from PVG? Which way do I go to find the #2 bus after clearing customs?

Thank you! This will help a lot.

There is clear signage from the meeting point outside customs toward the subway and bus areas. Follow it through a large, enclosed corridor that goes to the parking lots. The signage will lead you to the escalators that take you to the bus island down below. Some buses leave from stalls on one side, and some buses leave out of the other side. IIRC, which bus leaves from which side was not well signed.

Unless things have changed recently, these buses depart from T1 arrivals, and continue on to the area you describe to pick up more passengers.

Thanks sinoflyer and moondog.

And remember it is not the Long Distance Coach station, which is on the other terminal side.

I think they clarified where each bus leaves from as I've seen some signage on my way to the Maglev.

A data point, since this thread is about transportation times to PVG, the new Pudong tunnel and bridge towards Qidong has cut down my commute time to Nantong by at least 30 minutes, more during rush hour, using a car service. Since the bus service to PVG from Nantong is infrequent, if I have a morning flight I take the bus from Nantong the night before to Hongqiao, then Metro line 2 to either the GH or IC Pudong, both close to line 2 (GH at IFC and IC at Century though some stairs to deal with) then taxi to Longyang to get the Maglev. I did line 2 all the way to PVG only once, since the stop, unload, and transfer to the other side (since the metro trains to and from PVG stop at 9pm,) and the numerous stops added about an hour to the trip, even if I had to wait most of the 15 minutes between Maglev's. I have done the taxi from the IC but the fare was over 200 rmb which was the same as the fare from the IC Puxi.

新天地
 

I'm posting today to add some experience wrt Xintiandi.

1) To/From Hongqiao
-take Line 10 (no brainer)
-but, if you a really early flight, be prepared to wait 24 minutes between trains
-I had a 720a flight last month, and had to bail on Line 10 because my timing was sub optimal (taxis are fast at 545a, but not much faster than the subway)
-you're looking at 45 minutes in either case if you nail the subway schedule down pat.... taxi can take almost an hour on Friday afternoons

2) To/From Pudong
-Line 10 to Line 2 and Line 1 to Line 2 both work, and are dirt cheap, but this is a horrible way to travel
-Line 1/10 to Line 2 to Maglev aren't any better (Maglev on the final leg is obviously faster than Line 2 all the way, but waiting for it cancels out most of the time savings)
-My new favorite option is Uber to Maglev.. and nailing specific trains with t-5
*if I leave me house at 655a, I am almost sure to make the 720a Maglev; if things turn out poorly, the 740a Maglev still gets me to PVG in time for the 820a flight to HK (though I prefer the 840a anyway because it uses a nicer plane)
*Peoples Uber costs around Y25, and Maglev costs Y40

Another option still exists, line 8 from Dashijie, then switch to line 9 at Lujiabang Rd.

Line 9 gets you over to Pudong side and connects to line 2 or taxi at Century Avenue. A bit cumbersome but avoids line 1 completely and line 2 on the worst river stretch.

the Shanghai ground transportation data thread
 

Walking home from work yesterday and thought of Moondog as I saw the famous line 2 bus leaving Jing'an. Stuck in traffic on the road and packed to the gills. Looks like they cram them in tight on there! No thanks :-)

Line 2 to Maglev is still #1 for me. 44 RMB and guaranteed to be less than 1 hour.

Allow me to reiterate the charms of the #2 bus once again:
1) forward facing seats (yes, there will probably be someone in the seat next to you), and everybody gets one (well, I had to stand ONCE in the past 15 years)
2) it takes you directly to departures (both terminals), though pick up is only at T1 arrivals or in the middle near the subway/Maglev
3) traffic is honestly only an issue during the 500 meters between JA Temple and Yan'an Road
4) 45 minutes is pretty standard; you'd need some sort of traffic accident for it to take more than an hour
5) nonstop

OK, 3rd trip to Shanghai approaching next week. Was complaining in the Delta forum about the change in flight times & traffic etc - someone suggested taking subway to the airport. No, not me....But then I looked at the subway map and realized that the Longyan stop for the Maglev is on the 7 and the 2 - and my hotel is on top of a subway stop on the 7 line. So I might actually try the Maglev to subway option upon arrival.

I know Moondog doesn't like Line 2, but.....How horrible could it be?:D My biggest fear is hauling bags through a super crowded station/train. I should be traveling light, but that's still a backpack and rolling bag. As long as the immigration line isn't too long (flight arrives at 19:30 I think) and I'm not dead on my feet after flying that long, I'm going to try: Maglev to Longyan, transfer to line 7, travel to ZHaoziabang Road.....

If I hate it, I can take a taxi back to the airport;)

The only issue that I had with the subway is the fact that in Shanghai they have turnstiles so that you it is a challenge to get your suitcase on the other side. Very annoying otherwise the subway is fine. Maglev + subway is a good combination.

There will not be many people on line 7 at the time you'll be on it (around 8:30 or 9 I'd guess). No need to worry about moondog's dislike of the subway (he and I debate this all the time) I've done your exact journey probably 80 times and never had a problem. It should take between 55 mins and 1:10 for your trip depending on how long you need to wait for the maglev. Cost will be 44 RMB total. The transfer to line 7 at longyang road is a bit longer walk than the transfer to line 2 but it is still no big deal.

At that time, however, if there is no line for the taxi, it will be only 40 mins to zhaojiabang road from PVG via taxi so that may be a better option if cash isn't a concern.