Passengers wait for the train at a metro station in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 14, 2017. Passengers can simply swipe their phones to board all of Beijing's subway lines starting Monday, local authorities said. According to Beijing Subway, riders with compatible phone models may download an app to take the subway and recharge their e-tickets online. Currently, the e-tickets are limited to around 160 Android phone models with near field communication (NFC) function. (Xinhua/Du Jianpo)
BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Passengers can simply swipe their phones to board all of Beijing's subway lines starting Monday, local authorities said.
According to Beijing Subway, riders with compatible phone models may download an app to take the subway and recharge their e-tickets online.
"Mobile payment can save time for passengers," said a spokesperson from the Beijing Subway.
About a month ago, Beijing Subway, along with the Beijing Municipal Transportation Company, piloted mobile payment on the Fangshan metro line, drawing around 200,000 new card users.
Currently, the e-tickets are limited to around 160 Android phone models with near field communication (NFC) function, found on some domestic brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei.
To help passengers become familiar with how to use the e-card, the Beijing Subway will distribute instruction handbooks at all of its 274 stations. Users can also find information through the subways's official WeChat account.
Advanced technology has bolstered cashless payment in China in recent years.
China is now home to more than 500 million mobile payment users and about 400 million pay via their smartphones while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, according to figures released by the China Internet Network Information Center.
