October 13 marked the end of the first month of Beijing's new subway service to support overseas bank cards swiping through the fare gates to take the subway. As of 24:00 on October 12, the service, as the first of its kind in operation among Chinese cities, has been used by 46,000 passengers with overseas bank cards to pass through fare gates, and purchase one-way tickets or replacement tickets at self-service machines.

The BEIJING PASS cards were introduced on July 31. To date, 12,979 BEIJING PASS cards have been issued, including 6,031 physical cards and 6,948 NFC cards activated online through the "SilkPass" App. The number of transactions has reached 117,000, with the most frequent use recorded in public transportation. The cards have also been widely used at tourist attractions such as the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace, and the Badaling Great Wall.

The foreign-language services in the transportation sector of Beijing have been continuously enhanced. Currently, 24 stations on 11 rail transit lines now offer, on a trial basis, translation machines that can translate multiple foreign languages into voice or text. In addition, announcements in both Chinese and English can now be heard at stops on all bus routes. Online ride-hailing and taxi-hailing platforms such as ShouYue and DiDi have also launched the English version of their Apps, supporting major international credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa.

In the coming months, Beijing's rail transit system plans to unveil the international version of the "Yitongxing" App, which will allow foreign passengers to register their overseas phone numbers and access rail transit services by scanning QR codes. Buses and taxis will continue to optimize their services for foreign passengers.

How to buy a BEIJING PASS card?

BEIJING PASS cards can be purchased at designated places. Once sold, the cards cannot be returned or reported as lost. The remaining balance can be refunded, but if the card is lost, the balance cannot be retrieved. The cards can be purchased at the designated self-service machines and staffed service counters at Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing's rail transit system, and Yikatong's self-operated offices (in Dongzhimen and Xidan). Foreign visitors must present their valid identity documents such as passports when purchasing the cards.

A standard BEIJING PASS card is priced at CNY 20, which can be topped up offline at the staffed service windows and self-service machines of the rail transit stations in Beijing. Users can also top up their cards with NFC via the "SilkPass" App.  

Beijing Subway now offers sale and refund services for BEIJING PASS at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 subway stations of the Capital Airport Express, as well as Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Railway Station, Fengtai Railway Station, Qinghe Railway Station, and Xizhimen subway stations. The top-up services are now available on all subway lines.

(Sources: Official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, official WeChat account of the Volunteer Service Team of Beijing Railway Station, Beijing Daily App)