Jinan subway launches face scan payment

Facial recognition in China has taken the latest step forward. People who use the subway system in Shandong's provincial capital, Jinan, are now able to use their face to pay for their ride.

Photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows a facial recognition machine at the Dayang Station on Subway Line No. 1 in Jinan, Shandong Province. [File Photo: IC]

Riders can download an app launched by the local subway operator, which then scans your facial profile. This then allows the system to scan a riders face, charging them automatically for the service from a pre-paid account.

Undated photo shows staff with the Jinan Rail Transit Group explaining how the facial recognition machine works at a station on Line No. 1 in Jinan, Shandong Province. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Jinan Rail Transit Group tells China Plus that the facial recognition system is still operating on a trial basis, with at least one facial recognition machine at each station of Line No. 1. The system is expected to increase efficiency and streamlining the passenger flow at the subway station.

Jinan is among a number of cities across China which are attempting to make it easier for passengers to get into the subway. Cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin allow passengers to use their mobile devices to automatically enter the subway systems.