BUSAN — Foreign tourists visiting Busan will be able to ride city buses using mobile payments without buying a separate transit card or exchanging money into Korean won.
The Busan Metropolitan Government said on the 15th that it will introduce a Zero Pay QR simple payment service on city buses starting on the 21st. Rather than building a new bus payment system, the service uses QR codes posted inside buses to process fares.
Tourists open their payment app, scan the QR code inside the bus and press the payment button. Because currency conversion happens automatically during the overseas transaction, there is no need to prepare Korean won in advance. Once payment is completed, riders show the screen to the bus driver. A key feature is that users can rely on the affiliated payment apps they already use, without installing a separate app or buying a transit card.
Convenience is expected to improve significantly for tourists from China and other parts of Asia. Foreign visitors to Busan are projected to exceed 4 million this year, with travelers from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines accounting for more than 60% of the total. The service is designed to let tourists accustomed to mobile payments such as Alipay and WeChat Pay use the same methods in Busan.
The fare is 1,700 won, the standard cash fare. When several people board together, each rider must pay separately. Unlike regular transit cards, transfer discounts do not apply, and the 1,700 won fare also applies to teenagers and children. In practice, the service functions largely as a "mobile cash payment" aimed at short trips by foreign tourists.
To spread word of the service quickly among tourists, the city will attach QR codes and multilingual guidance stickers to all city buses. Notices and promotional materials will also be placed at major gateways such as Busan Station and Busan Port, as well as at bus stops near tourist sites and at tourist information centers. The city will also pursue overseas promotion in partnership with global payment companies including Alipay and Tencent.
The measure is significant in lowering the "first payment barrier" that foreign tourists face when getting around. Reducing the need for arriving visitors to find where to buy a transit card or to exchange money for small purchases can improve access to tourist sites and naturally increase public transit use.
The city plans to first review usage rates and tourist feedback, then reflect the results in future improvements to transit payment infrastructure. It is also considering linking QR payment functions to new transit card terminals when they are introduced.
"With the introduction of Zero Pay simple payments, foreign tourists will be able to use Busan city buses more conveniently without the inconvenience of buying a transit card or exchanging currency," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will continue to expand a range of transportation services so that foreign tourists can use public transit easily and conveniently."
