The number of bus routes in Harbin that allow payment by scanning a QR code has increased to 50, according to Harbin City Intelligent Traffic Card Co on April 1.
The bus routes providing the payment service include the No 5, No 12, No 19, No 21 and No 22.
The services have been launched to catch up with the methods of payment typically offered by modern retailers.
Passengers just need to install the “Harbin City Traffic Card” app and have their QR code scanned by a POS machine when they board a bus.
To use the app, passengers must have a balance higher than 5 yuan ($0.79).
Currently, the app only supports phones using the Android system. For iPhone users, the service is available through Harbin’s “hrbcst” on the WeChat platform.
There are two methods to top up an individual account. One is to link to the WeChat payment service, and the other is to top up by bank card from China Construction Bank. It is anticipated that more third-party payment platforms will be available for the service, including Alipay, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and China Unionpay.
Complete list of bus routes offering mobile payment services:
No 5 No 12 No 19 No 21 No 22 No 51 No 58 No 65
No 68 No 71 No 73 No 79 No 84 No 85 No 87 No 89
No 93 No 94 No 96 No 103 No 106 No 110 No 111 No 117
No 209 No 211 No 212 No 213 No 223 No 225 No 333 No 336
No 337 No 338 No 343 No 349 No 358 No 360 No 362 No 363
No 364 No 379 No 380 No 381 No 382 No 390 No 398 No 399
No 6 and No 7 for suburban routes