Mobile payment accepted on Wuxi buses

With mobile payment, passengers are allowed to pay bus fares via QR codes and save the trouble of digging for change or waiting in long queues. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxifabu2013]

All of the bus lines covering Wuxi's main urban area now allow passengers to pay fares with the QR codes of Alipay or the official Wuxi Bus app, according to Wuxi Citizen Card Company.

The service was first introduced last September in Wuxi and by the end of May, 2,548 buses driving 256 routes were accepting mobile payments in all five of the city's suburban districts.

Residents can download the Wuxi Zhihuigongjiao or Wuxi Citizen Card app and link a bankcard to their account. QR codes generated by e-wallets on mobile apps can be scanned for payment. Upgraded ticket machines will process the fares on recognition of the codes and then deduct the funds automatically.

Or, more simply, passengers can use Alipay and click the transport code of payment QR code. A virtual card account will be opened on production of identification and the QR code will be available for payment.

Passengers who pay the fee through their virtual card accounts pay the same amount they paid in cash. The service is better suited to acute cases and short-term visits.

Compared with traditional cash payment, which can lead to inconvenience when people do not have the correct change or have to wait in long queues, mobile payment is more efficient.

The number of daily QR code payments reached 2,600 in May, according to Wuxi Citizen Card Company.

Related: How to pay bus fares with Alipay in Wuxi