Travellers using Hong Kong’s MTR underground rail system soon will be able to purchase tickets using mainland Chinese mobile payment platform, WeChat Pay.

According to the South China Morning Post, the payment platform will be available from mid-December beginning at two stations as part of a trial, though it has yet to be formally announced which stations these will be. Local paper Apple Daily reports that the stations will be Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu, both stations near to the city’s border with Shenzhen on the East Rail Line.

Meanwhile, the Post also reports that the platform’s main rival on the mainland, Alipay, also plans to be available in the city’s MTR stations soon.

The addition of digital payments will mark one of the MTR’s most notable changes to its ticket purchasing options since the introduction of the existing contactless Octopus card system, which was launched two decades ago.

Hong Kong’s public transportation offerings have since been slow to adopt new payment options, particularly digital. Most of the city’s double-decker buses and minibuses currently accept Octopus card payments, however taxis solely accept cash.

mtr.com