A China Mobile staffer demonstrates how to pay a Metro fare with a mobile phone yesterday.Qi Jieshuang

 

SHENZHEN commuters will be able to use their mobile phones to pay for daily bus and Metro trips from June 1st.

Users need to install a new RFID-SIM card that costs 100 yuan (US$15) at China Mobile outlets in Shenzhen, news portal, sznews.com reported yesterday.

Users can recharge their phone TransCard accounts with cash at the telecom operator’s 29 service centers.

However, a mobile account balance should be maintained at no more than 1,000 yuan, the news portal said.

People can check the transaction records and remaining balances by phone.

The phone TransCard service does not apply to iPhones, one of the most popular mobile phones. However, the telecom operator is studying the RFID-SIM card’s compatibility with iPhones and expects this will be available later this year.

With the introduction of a “mobile purse” service already in operation, residents have been able to use mobile phones to pay at Vanguard Supermarkets, and other stores and cinemas that have set up partnerships with the telecom operator.

The phone TransCard has been piloted on 350 taxis and 100 electric buses, the news portal said.(Li Hao)