Shanghai residents go 'BMW' to beat jams

An increasing number of Shanghai residents are abandoning their cars and adopting what has been dubbed the BMW commute pattern - bus, metro, walk - to avoid traffic jams and parking charges.

Gu Liping, 34, recently stopped driving his car to work and moved to public transport, saving himself 40 minutes a day in travel time and 600 yuan ($95) a month in parking fees and gas.

"I used to think driving was more convenient than taking the subway, but as Shanghai's traffic has grown, public transport has become more comfortable and flexible," he said.