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Hong Kong MTR passengers can use Shenzhen Metro app to pay for rides in step towards Greater Bay Area integration

  • From Sunday, commuters can pass through the gates at Hong Kong’s MTR stations using QR codes generated by the Shenzhen Metro app
  • The new function is supported by Ant Group’s Alipay, while Tencent’s WeChat Pay also allows users to pay for subway rides across Hong Kong and Shenzhen

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Passengers on an MTR train in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP
Iris Dengin Shenzhen
Commuters can now use the Shenzhen Metro app to pay for subway rides in both the southern Chinese city and neighbouring Hong Kong, as their border reopened for quarantine-free travel after nearly three years of Covid-19 restrictions.
From Sunday, travellers using Hong Kong’s extensive MTR railway network can pass through the gates using QR codes generated by the Shenzhen Metro app, with train fares deducted exclusively through Alipay, the mobile payments platform operated by fintech giant Ant Group, according a statement by Shenzhen’s subway operator.

The codes cover all Shenzhen Metro and Hong Kong MTR stations, with the exception of the tram service in Shenzhen’s Longhua district, as well as Hong Kong’s Airport Express, Light Rail and shuttle bus service, the statement said.

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The story behind Hong Kong's colourful MTR stations

The story behind Hong Kong's colourful MTR stations

Users can also use Alipay’s local sibling app AlipayHK to pay for Shenzhen Metro rides, the app said on Sunday.

“As demand for travel between mainland and Hong Kong remains strong and cross-border activities begin to normalise, we expect to witness wide adoption of AlipayHK on the Chinese mainland,” Venetia Lee, general manager of Greater China International Business at Ant, said in a statement on Saturday.

Ant is an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

MTR passengers have already been able to pay for rides using Alipay and AlipayHK since January 2021. Rivals WeChat Pay and WeChat Pay HK, operated by Tencent Holdings, also allow users to pay for subway rides across Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

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