The Transport Bureau (DSAT) and the Monetary Authority of Macau (AMCM) jointly announced yesterday that starting from Friday, the city’s two public bus operators will accept the payment of fares via the “Bus Payment QR Code” generated by any means of payment integrated into “Simple Pay+”, namely, Alipay Macau, BOC Mobile Banking Macau, Guangfa Mobile Payment Wallet, ICBC ePay, LusoPay, MPay, Tai FungPay, UePay Macau E-Wallet and BNU Pay, as well as the “UnionPay APP” mobile app, with the granting of tariff benefits and free rides if changing buses within less than 45 minutes.
Chief Executive Order No. 122/2023 has been published in the Official Gazette (BO) recently, amending the provisions concerning the payment method for bus fares.
A DSAT and AMCM joint statement said yesterday that with a view to promoting mobile payment innovation and responding to requests by civil society, the bureau and the city’s quasi-central bank have decided to jointly promote the collaboration of bus operators and help coordinate various financial institutions to complete the system update, with the payment QR code for buses functionality added to mobile payment applications, upgrading the original “Simple Pay” payment into “Simple Pay+”, the signage of which will soon be displayed in the means of payment applications and on the bus fare scanner.
The statement underlined that passengers wishing to pay the bus fare with their “Simple Pay+” or the “UnionPay APP” must activate, in advance, the “Bus Payment QR Code” functionality in their mobile payment application, then placing the code in front of the fare scanner on the bus. The payment is verbally confirmed by the scanner in Cantonese, the statement added.
In order to facilitate passengers’ use of the fare codes, according to the statement, the bureau has added quick access to the “Bus Payment QR Code” feature in its “Bus Location” mobile app.
This photo taken yesterday on a Transmac bus shows its bus fare scanner.
– Photo: Yuki Lei
