In short
Coaches here come in two layers. The first is four city lines costing ¥30 to ¥50, all leaving from doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3, reachable by coming down from the level-2 corridor of the transport hub. Line 1 costs ¥30 and runs via Wanda Crossing and the Dongfang Hotel by Lanzhou University to Lanzhou Railway Station, roughly every 20 minutes, departing on the airport side whenever a flight lands, which means it has no fixed last departure. Line 2 costs ¥40 and runs 10:00 to 21:00, about hourly, to the south end of Zhongshan Bridge and the New Victory Hotel at Xiguan. Line 3 costs ¥30 and runs 09:30 to 01:00, roughly every 30 minutes, through Anning to Lanzhou West bus terminal beside the railway station, and is the only service that keeps running into the small hours. Line 5 costs ¥50 and leaves on the hour between 10:00 and 21:00 for Yantan, finishing at the Haihong Holiday Hotel and dropping passengers in sequence within about 3 km of it. The second layer is seven intercity routes that carry you out of Gansu entirely: Xining at ¥100 from 10:30 to 21:30, Linxia at ¥80 from 10:00 to 20:00, Baiyin at ¥35 from 09:40 to 20:30, Jingning at ¥100 from 10:30 to 20:30 and Hezuo at ¥125 from 11:30 to 16:30, plus Lintao and Minqin whose fares are not published. The airport also runs a free shuttle to and from Qinwangchuan high-speed rail station. Three things need saying up front. First, no journey time is published for line 5 or for any intercity route, so the minutes column is left blank rather than estimated. Second, the 70, 70 and 80 minute figures for lines 1, 2 and 3 come from the Gansu transport department page, which predates Terminal 3 and may be out of date. Third, fares and times come from the Lanzhou New Area announcement of 20 March 2025, now eighteen months old, so confirm on the day at the airport or through the airport coach WeChat account. Two more cautions on the long-distance routes: the fares to Lintao and Minqin have never been published and are left blank here, and routes to Wuwei, Zhuanglang, Pingliang and Jingyuan that appear on the transport department page are absent from the post-Terminal 3 list, so they may have been withdrawn and are not included.
- City lines and fares
- Four lines, ¥30–50
- Intercity routes
- Seven: Xining, Linxia, Baiyin, Jingning, Hezuo, Lintao, Minqin
- Shared boarding point
- Doors 10 and 11, level 1 of Terminal 3
- The latest-running line
- Line 3 to 01:00; line 1 follows the flights
- Journey times
- About 70 min on lines 1 and 2, 80 on line 3; none published for line 5 or intercity
- Free shuttle
- To Qinwangchuan high-speed station, free; times and stop not published
- Source of the figures
- Lanzhou New Area announcement, 20 March 2025
- Ride-hailing pick-up
- Zone A, level P5 of the car park (P5A)
How to take each option
Buying a ticket and boarding, step by step
- After baggage claim follow the coach signs to the departure point at doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3; you can also come down from the level-2 corridor of the transport hub to the same kerb.
- Read the line number and destination on the front of the coach or on the stand: line 1 for Lanzhou Railway Station, line 2 for Xiguan, line 3 for Lanzhou West, line 5 for Yantan.
- Buy your ticket on board. City lines charge a flat fare of ¥30, ¥40 or ¥50, while intercity routes are priced by destination, ¥100 to Xining or ¥70 to Minhe for example.
- Stow large bags in the hold and keep valuables with you. On intercity routes note the enquiry phone number, since that day’s departures can shift.
Every city and intercity coach uses the same departure point at doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3. Ride-hailing is elsewhere, in zone A on level P5 of the car park, and taxis at the Terminal 3 ground-level rank: three separate places, so check which one you need.
Taking line 1 into the centre and to Lanzhou Railway Station
Fare ¥30
- Board at doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3 and pay ¥30.
- Coaches leave roughly every 20 minutes and earlier once full, and on the airport side there is no fixed last departure: as long as flights land, coaches run.
- It calls at Wanda Crossing and the Dongfang Hotel by Lanzhou University before finishing at Lanzhou Railway Station and the Civil Aviation Building, right in the centre of Chengguan with easy onward connections.
The 70-minute figure comes from the Gansu transport department page, which predates Terminal 3, and the real run depends on expressway traffic, so allow longer at evening peak.
Taking line 3 to Lanzhou West for a train
Fare ¥30
- Board at the same departure point at doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3 and pay ¥30.
- From the airport it runs 09:30 to 01:00, roughly every 30 minutes, making it the only city line that keeps running into the small hours.
- It finishes at Lanzhou West bus terminal beside the railway station, a short walk from the departure hall, and anyone staying in Anning is better off alighting at Gansu Agricultural University or Yintan Bridge.
If Lanzhou West is all you want, the intercity train beneath Terminal 3 is faster at 38 minutes for ¥16–28. The real value of line 3 is after the 22:14 last train, since it runs through to 01:00.
Taking an intercity coach to another city
Fare ¥35–125
- Work out which route serves you: Xining ¥100, Linxia ¥80, Baiyin ¥35, Jingning ¥100, Hezuo ¥125, with no published fare for Lintao or Minqin.
- Check that day’s departure window against the table above, Xining 10:30 to 21:30, Baiyin 09:40 to 20:30 and Hezuo 11:30 to 16:30 for example; services are sparse, so phone ahead.
- For intercity routes the official guidance is simply to ask on site, so speak to staff in the coach departure area or call the enquiry number listed for your route.
No journey time is published for any intercity route, so the minutes column is blank, and the fares to Lintao and Minqin have never been published either. Routes to Wuwei, Zhuanglang, Pingliang and Jingyuan listed on the transport department page do not appear in the post-Terminal 3 list and may have been withdrawn, so they are not included here.
When no coach fits your plan
- Catching a train or heading to Lanzhou West: go down to Zhongchuan Airport East beneath Terminal 3, where intercity trains take 38 minutes at ¥16–28, faster than any coach.
- For the centre after lines 2 and 5 have finished at 21:00, line 1 still follows the flights, or take a taxi or ride-hailing car.
- For door to door, taxis wait at the Terminal 3 ground-level rank on the first and second kerbs, and ride-hailing at zone A on level P5 of the car park.
The airport also runs a free shuttle to Qinwangchuan high-speed station, but since neither its times nor its pick-up point are published, this page does not present it as a reliable connection and only lists it faithfully in the table above.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Two lines can be relied on at night. Line 1 has no fixed last departure, running from the airport whenever a flight lands, so an early-hours arrival will almost always find one; line 3 to Lanzhou West runs to about 01:00, roughly every 30 minutes. Lines 2 and 5 finish at 21:00, and among the intercity routes the latest are Xining at 21:30 and Baiyin and Jingning at 20:30. When nothing is running, taxis and ride-hailing work whenever flights arrive, but between 22:00 and 06:00 the night tariff applies, ¥1.6 per km from 3 to 10 km and ¥2.3 per km one-way beyond 10 km, with the expressway toll on top.
Questions travellers ask
How much do the Lanzhou airport buses cost?
City lines cost ¥30 on line 1, ¥40 on line 2, ¥30 on line 3 and ¥50 on line 5. Intercity routes are ¥100 to Xining, ¥80 to Linxia, ¥35 to Baiyin, ¥100 to Jingning and ¥125 to Hezuo, with no published fare for Lintao or Minqin. The Qinwangchuan shuttle is free.
How long does the airport bus take?
Officially, lines 1 and 2 take about 70 minutes and line 3 about 80, but those figures come from the Gansu transport department page, which predates Terminal 3 and may be out of date. No journey time has ever been published for line 5 or for any intercity route, so this page quotes none.
What time is the last airport bus?
Line 1 has no fixed last departure and follows arriving flights; line 3 runs to about 01:00; lines 2 and 5 finish at 21:00. Among intercity routes the earliest to finish is Hezuo at 16:30 and the latest Xining at 21:30.
Where do the airport buses leave from?
They all leave from the coach departure point at doors 10 and 11 on level 1 of Terminal 3, reachable by coming down from the level-2 corridor of the transport hub. Taxis use the Terminal 3 ground-level rank and ride-hailing zone A on level P5 of the car park: three separate places.
Are there coaches to cities like Xining, Linxia or Baiyin?
Yes, seven routes: Xining ¥100, Linxia ¥80, Baiyin ¥35, Jingning ¥100 and Hezuo ¥125, plus Lintao and Minqin with unpublished fares. Departures are sparse, so confirm using the enquiry number on the route table.
Coach, intercity train or taxi?
For a train, take the intercity service beneath Terminal 3, 38 minutes at ¥16–28. For the centre, or a late arrival, take line 1 at ¥30, which follows the flights. For Xiguan or Yantan take line 2 at ¥40 or line 5 at ¥50. With heavy bags, three or four people, or a landing in the small hours, take a taxi.
Both line 3 and the train reach Lanzhou West — which should I take?
By day take the train: 38 minutes at ¥16–28 beats the coach at about 80 minutes and ¥30. After the 22:14 last train, line 3 is the answer, since it runs through to 01:00.
Can I pay for the coach with my phone?
No payment methods are stated officially. In practice you buy on board and cash plus Alipay and WeChat QR payment usually work, while foreign cards generally do not, so carry some cash. On intercity routes, phone ahead and confirm at the airport.
Can I order a Didi at the airport?
Yes, but only from its own pick-up point, zone A on level P5 of the car park, the P5A point, where the airport keeps 400 dedicated waiting bays. It is not the taxi rank and not the coach departure point.
Is there a free shuttle to Qinwangchuan high-speed station?
The airport does run a free shuttle in both directions to Qinwangchuan high-speed station, but neither its departure times nor its pick-up point are published, so this page cannot give a timetable, and whether Qinwangchuan is the same station as Lanzhou Xinqu, code LQJ, is unconfirmed. Ask on site if you want it, but if you are in a hurry the intercity trains beneath Terminal 3 are far more dependable.
Why is there no line 4?
The official list contains four city lines, 1, 2, 3 and 5, and no public information about a line 4 exists. Older numbering circulating online, from the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 era, was rearranged when Terminal 3 opened, so this page only covers the list published by the Lanzhou New Area authorities on 20 March 2025.