Why can't Hu F enter the urban area?
4 Answers
Hu F can enter the urban area. Here are the specific details: 1. Introduction: Along with Hu A, Hu B, Hu D, and Hu E, Hu F is an urban area license plate, while Hu C represents the outer suburbs and can only drive outside the outer ring road. 2. Division rules: Shanghai car license plates are not divided by administrative districts but are issued in chronological order, starting with Hu A. Once the numbers under a letter are exhausted, a new letter is introduced. Here are some additional details: 1. Introduction: License plates, commonly known as vehicle plates, refer to the plates hung on the front and rear of a vehicle. They are typically made of aluminum, iron, plastic, or paper, and display the vehicle's registration number, registration area, or other relevant information. 2. Function: License plates serve as a numbering and information registration system for vehicles. Their main purpose is to identify the vehicle's region of registration and to trace the vehicle's owner and registration details based on the plate.
Can cars with Hu F license plates enter the city? I drive my Hu F-plated car in the city every day. Actually, there's some confusion here. It's the Hu C license plates that can't enter the city—they're specifically for suburban use and, according to regulations, aren't allowed within the area inside the Outer Ring Expressway. Hu F plates, just like Hu A and Hu B plates, are regular city license plates and can be driven freely in Shanghai's urban areas. Some people might think of motorcycle license plates—back in the day, Hu F was indeed reserved for motorcycles. Nowadays, motorcycles are restricted in Shanghai's central urban areas, but the car license plates we're discussing are completely unaffected. However, it's important to note that, like other city license plates, Hu F plates are subject to certain expressway restrictions during peak hours for non-local plates, while local Hu plates can pass normally. It's crucial to understand this distinction so you don't scare yourself into avoiding driving in the city.
I've researched the division of Shanghai license plates: Hu-F belongs to the normal urban blue plates, with no difference from Hu-A in terms of traffic restriction policies. The truly restricted ones are the Hu-C green plates, which were introduced in the 1990s as suburban-specific plates, and are only allowed to drive outside the outer ring road according to regulations. The reason some people misunderstand Hu-F might be due to confusion with the letter numbering rules. Additionally, here's a little-known fact: Shanghai also distinguishes between special plates for pure electric vehicles (starting with Hu-AD) and regular fuel vehicle plates, but Hu-F can be used for both types of vehicles. To verify whether your license plate can enter the urban area, the most direct method is to check if there is a note on the supplementary page of the vehicle registration certificate stating 'Only allowed to drive outside the outer ring road'.
When I first came to Shanghai, I also thought that Hu-F license plates couldn't enter the city center. Later, after checking the official regulations, I realized that ordinary private cars with Hu-F plates have the same access rights as Hu-A plates and can enter any road in the city. Only Hu-C plates are restricted to areas outside the outer ring road, which is a unique regional traffic restriction policy in Shanghai. This distinction is mainly to control traffic flow in the city center and encourage suburban residents to travel locally. Hu-F car owners don't need to worry about traffic restrictions at all, but they should be aware of the elevated road restrictions during morning and evening rush hours for non-Shanghai licensed vehicles. Our Hu-F plates, as local plates, are completely unaffected. I've been driving a Hu-F car for over three years and have never encountered any issues commuting between Pudong and Puxi.
