A kid scans a QR code on her mobile phone to board a bus in Changsha. [Photo by Zhang Yunfeng and Jin Lin/xxcb.cn]

Changsha buses are allowing passengers to pay fares via the QR code of the official Xiangxing E-card app, according to the management center of Changsha Transport Group.

A leader of the management center said that people will be able to pay fares via mobile phones after the card readers are replaced. The company plans to replace card readers on 9,000 buses in Changsha's five districts.

Mobile payment was first introduced to Changsha buses in January 2018 on bus line 314. A new machine with a card payment area and a QR code payment area was installed, allowing people to enjoy the same discount as bus cards.

Card readers are still in the process of being replaced, but the leader said that the company will introduce other payment methods, such as WeChat, Alipay, etc.

Changsha Metro will also provide QR code payment services in the future. It launched a mobile payment service in 2015 that allowed passengers to pay fares through the official Changsha Metro app.

In the future, Changsha Metro will gradually develop a scanning payment system with WeChat and Alipay on automatic ticket machines, online ticket purchasing via the official WeChat account, Alipay, and other apps, and other ways to ride the metro by scanning codes.