No tickets needed for Hangzhou subway

Passengers in Hangzhou no longer need a ticket to take the subway. They can just swipe their smartphones, making Hangzhou, capital of China's Zhejiang Province, the first city in China to realize mobile payments on its subway.

Animation drawings are seen in a metro train in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, April 27, 2017. [File photo: Xinhua/Wang Dingchang]

Starting from 5 p.m. Wednesday, users of Alipay, a mobile payment app, will get a QR code on their phones, which they can use to enter the electric gates at all 72 subway stations in the city.

The price will be deducted from their Alipay account after they swipe to exit the subway.

Similar services have also been opened by UnionPay. With its quick pass installed in smartphones, passengers can also take the subway without a ticket.

A new subway line will also open at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Since August, passengers have been able to pay with their mobiles to collect tickets at subway stations, and around 50 percent of passengers now choose mobile payment.

"The QR code-swiping and quick pass services will save passengers from buying and collecting tickets in advance, which will further shorten the queues for ticket purchases at subway stations," said a manager with Hangzhou metro group.