[Photo via VCG]

This summer, Beijing has seen a noticeable increase in the number of foreign tourists in various scenic areas. To better serve foreign tourists, Beijing is planning to launch the BEIJING PASS, the international version of the Yikatong transportation card. The subway stations citywide are conducting on-site tests. In the future, foreign nationals will be able to use the city's subway system with the card.

To facilitate payment for foreign passengers, Beijing Subway has installed POS machines in 335 stations across its 17 operating lines since June 1. Foreign visitors can now use their foreign bank cards to pay for subway rides. In the future, foreign bank cards such as Mastercard will gradually be accepted for swiping to enter the subway gate, purchasing single-ride tickets, paying for ticket extensions, and other services at the subway gate machines.

Beijing's subway stations are conducting on-site tests to facilitate the smooth launch of BEIJING PASS. It is expected that the card will be available at Seven Stations and Two Airports, namely, Beijing Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing North Railway Station, Fengtai Railway Station, Chaoyang Railway Station, Qinghe Railway Station, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Beijing Daxing International Airport. This will make it more convenient for foreign visitors to take the subway.

In the past two years, a series of measures were introduced in the transportation sector of Beijing to serve foreign tourists.

Specifically, the operating companies of Beijing Subway have conducted specialized English training courses to train English tutors and consequentially enhance the bilingual service capabilities of the staff workers. Meanwhile, multilingual translation machines have been installed on trial basis at eight stations: Tian'anmenxi (Line 1/Batong Line), Dongzhimen (Line 2), Beijing Railway Station (Line 2), Nanluogu Xiang (Line 6), Olympic Park (Line 8), Xi'erqi (Line 13), Maquanying (Line 15), and Universal Resort (Line 1/Batong Line and Line 7).

In addition, at the Seven Stations and Two Airports as well as the stations near scenic spots, personalized bilingual (Chinese and English) announcements are now available. Stations can activate or switch between the Chinese and English personalized announcements when necessary, effectively reducing the number of inquiries from foreign passengers.

(Source: Beijing Daily)