SHENZHEN Metro operators said they will add more dispensers at stations for riders to collect tickets which they have paid for online through WeChat, Alipay or the Metro app.

In response to an online post that complained that the mobile payment options for Metro riders in Shenzhen had been lagging behind other first-tier cities in China, Shenzhen Metro Group said so far 21 such machines had been installed in 13 Metro stations such as Guomao, Grand Theater, Convention and Exhibition Center and Window of the World stations. The company said it would add more such machines, but didn’t provide any detailed plans.

Considering the city’s Metro network has 199 stations and eight lines and carries 5 million riders a day, the 21 dispensers at 13 stations are too limited, so the service is unknown to many riders.

HKMTR (SZ) now only pilots a dispenser for mobile payment at Shenzhen North Railway Station. It said it would install the machines at all stations along Line 4 in the first quarter of next year.

The post also complained that many ticket-selling dispensers only accepted coins and 5-yuan (US$0.76) banknotes, leading many riders to have to wait in lines to exchange money. Some Shenzhentong card top-up dispensers only accept payment through WeChat, but don’t support Alipay.

Shenzhen Metro responded by saying that the updated dispensers, installed along lines 7, 9 and 11, accept 10-yuan and 20-yuan banknotes, along with 5-yuan notes.

Beijing has introduced an app that allows riders to go through the turnstiles using a phone payment, without needing a ticket. Shenzhen Metro operators are called to popularize cashless mobile payment and avoid making riders wait in long lines for a ticket. (Han Ximin)