Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced in a statement yesterday that starting from next Thursday, Alipay from the mainland, Alipay Hong Kong and UnionPay Cloud Shimmer, which binds non-local UnionPay-issued UnionPay cards, can use “Ride Code” to pay public bus fares in Macau so as to make it more convenient for tourists to travel around Macau.
The fare for each journey using such a payment method is 6 patacas, and no fare concessions and discounts are provided for non-local payments, according to the bureau.
The bureau said the new measure was due to the popularity of electronic payment methods, aiming to support the acceptance of more e-payment tools from outside Macau to pay local public bus fares.
The bureau will continue to work with the Monetary Authority of Macau (AMCM), two public bus companies and payment institutions to introduce more diversified payment methods to facilitate visitors’ use of public bus services in Macau.
Currently, more than 93 percent of the fares on public buses are paid by electronic means such as Macau Pass Card, Simple Pay+ and UnionPay for local users, according to the bureau.
The city’s two public bus operators 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 in less than 45 minutes.
This pixelated handout photo provided by the Tansmac last year shows a passenger using e-payment for his fare on a public bus.
