Magnetic tickets first for subway

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-10  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

PAPER tickets, which were in service for 38 years at Beijing Subway, were phased out yesterday.

An automatic fare collection (AFC) system became operational at all Beijing subway stations, requesting passengers to present their magnetic strip tickets or mass transit smart cards twice when entering and exiting the subway gates.

At least a dozen subway workers were standing by at Fuchengmen station in downtown Beijing yesterday morning to explain the process to passengers.

Most passengers were baffled at a line of AFC machines blocking the entrance and exit.

Previously a passenger only needed to present his paper ticket or process his smart card upon entering a subway station.

With the new system, however, the check-in and check-out gates remain closed until the magnetic strip tickets or smart cards are processed.

"Be careful with the ticket. You'll still need it upon your exit," the subway workers told everyone who bought a magnetic strip ticket at the self-service ticket seller machine.

The ticket is retrieved by the AFC system upon a passenger's exit.

Televisions in subway trains, which have been installed to live broadcast Olympic events to the passengers during the Games, play videos explaining how the new fare collection system works.

The fare for a subway ride remains unchanged, at two yuan.