The main difference between the red and purple traffic cards in Shanghai lies in the different scope of use. Purple traffic cards are the most widely used, which can be used in different cities such as Ningbo, Shaoxing, Huai 'an, Kunshan, Jiangyin, Changshu, Taizhou and Huzhou, and can also be used by taxi in Changshu. Red traffic cards can be used in some taxis in Wuxi, Kunshan, Changshu, Fuyang, Huainan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanning and Dafeng.

At present, traffic cards in Shanghai are divided into five different colors: green, yellow, red, blue and purple. The difference between these different colors is mainly the different scope of use, among which the purple traffic card is the most widely used, while the blue traffic card can only be used locally in Shanghai.

Shanghai Transportation Card is an IC stored-value card, which can be paid in cash. It can be used in buses, subways, ferries and gas stations in Shanghai, and can also be used in jinshan railway and other places. Shanghai's bus cards are also divided into various categories, such as ordinary bus cards, commemorative cards and virtual cards. It should be noted that this bus card can be recharged repeatedly, but it is anonymous and does not report the loss.