MetroMan App Guide 2026: How to Use This App to Navigate China’s Metro

If you often travel to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an or other big cities in China, MetroMan (called Ditie Tong 地铁通 in China) is the app you need. It was made especially for taking the metro, and has been translated into English, with strong offline features. It has become the app people use most when they visit.

Core Features of MetroMan

Source: Google Play

MetroMan is really simple to use. It has all the important things you need when you travel. The best things about MetroMan are:

Offline Metro Maps

You can download the map of different cities using Wi-Fi before you leave Singapore. After you save it, you can plan your route on the MetroMan when you are underground or in a place without signal. This single feature makes it invaluable for tourists who only buy short-term China eSIMs.

Intelligent Multi-Route Planner

Input your start station and destination station. MetroMan can help:

• Estimated total travel time
• Number of transfers
• Approximate fare in Chinese Yuan (CNY)
• Walking distance between interchange platforms
• Platform direction for each train line

Station Exit Information

People who use MetroMan really love this feature. MetroMan helps you figure out which exit letter to take when you want to go to places like landmarks, shopping areas and tourist spots. Some big metro stations in China have a lot of exits, about 8 to 12 exits. If you pick the exit, you might have to walk for an extra 15 minutes. MetroMan is very useful for this reason.

11 Supported Languages

English is fully supported, alongside Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German and more. Singapore travellers can lock the app permanently to English with one setting change.

How to Set up and Use MetroMan?

Follow these steps before departing Singapore to avoid connectivity delays once you land in China.

Step 1: Download the App

• iOS: Search “MetroMan China” on the App Store
• Android: Download via Google Play Store. If unavailable, you can access the official website for verified installation files.

Step 2: Switch Interface to English

1. Open MetroMan
2. Tap the Settings icon in the lower menu bar
3. Select Language
4. Choose English
5. The entire app will refresh instantly; all menus, station labels and instructions switch to English.

Step 3: Download Offline City Metro Packs

1. Navigate to the Offline Maps tab
2. Search for every city you plan to visit (Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu etc.)
3. Tap Download for each city map file

Tip: Download these files on Wi-Fi. Avoid using expensive roaming data to download large map packs once you arrive in China. You can delete unused city packs later to free phone storage.

Step 4: Plan Your Metro Route

1. On the main homepage, confirm your selected city
2. Enter your departure station and destination station
3. Tap Search Routes
4. Review the available journey options
5. Each route displays full transfer instructions, for example: Take Line 2 (Green) to People’s Square → transfer to Line 8 (Purple) → alight at Dashijie Station, Exit 3

Step 5: Check First & Last Train Times

Tap any station name to open station details. The timetable tab shows the earliest and final train for every direction on that line. Many Singapore tourists miss last trains after dinner or evening attractions; this simple check prevents expensive late-night taxi rides.

How to Pair MetroMan with Metro Payment Methods?

Remember: MetroMan does not operate ticket scanning. You must prepare a way to enter metro stations separately. 

Alipay Metro QR Code (Most Recommended)

Download Alipay and complete tourist identity verification using your passport. Search “Subway Code”, select your city, and generate a scannable QR code at the gate. Works across nearly all major Chinese metro networks.

Single-Journey Ticket Vending Machines

All metro stations have ticket machines with English language mode. Insert cash or scan international credit cards to buy disposable plastic tickets.

Physical Transit Card

Purchase a rechargeable transit card at station service counters. Useful if you stay in one city for more than five days.

Perfect travel workflow for travellers: MetroMan → plan your route and confirm exit number → Alipay QR code → scan and board the metro.

Why Singapore Travellers Need MetroMan in China?

China has an urban rail network that covers more than 53 cities and it is still growing. When people from Singapore visit China, they have some problems when they use map apps to get around.

The problems are:

• The apps do not work well when you are underground.
• The apps have omplicated interfaces packed with taxi, food delivery and shopping functions irrelevant to simple metro trips.9
• The apps do not tell you which exit to use when you get to a station, and that can be really annoying.

MetroMan is a better option because it only helps you with metro travel. Here is a comparison to show how MetroMan is better than options for people, from Singapore:

Here are the key advantages for users:

• No Chinese phone number is required for registration.
• No VPN is needed to download or operate the app inside China.
• Station names are displayed in both English and simplified Chinese characters.
• Timetables for first and last trains are available important if you plan evening sightseeing.
• Multiple route options are available: fastest journey, least transfers, lowest fare.

Common Mistakes Singapore Travellers Make with MetroMan

• ❌ Forgetting to download offline city packs before leaving Singapore. You will not have access to routes when you are without data.
• ❌ Some people think MetroMan is like apps that help you get a ride or find your way around. It does not give you walking directions from your hotel to the train station. You need to use MetroMan with Amap to find your way on foot.
• ❌ You should always check when the last train is. In most China cities, the metro stops running between 22:30 and 23:30. This is much earlier than the MRT in Singapore.
• ❌ Do not just look at the estimated fares in MetroMan. MetroMan estimated fares are not always correct. So you should check the fares.