TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Railway Corporation (TRC) on Thursday (June 27) announced it will activate EasyCard’s new contactless payment service, which enables passengers to use their phones to pass through train turnstiles starting next week.

The TRC said starting from Monday (July 1), the company will activate the "beep ride" (嗶乘車) service on the Easy Wallet app. This will enable passengers to enter station gates with just a tap of their mobile phones.

The new EasyCard service is available for Android phones with Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality. Passengers using Android versions 6.0 or above can download the EasyCard Pay APP and update it to version 3.0.98 from midnight on July 1 to enable this tap-and-ride feature. 

This feature allows them to use their phones to enter and exit stations, saving ticket purchasing time and enabling online top-ups via their phones.

The TRC said the new service is an important step toward smart transportation and digital transformation. It pledged “to continue to optimize services to meet the diverse needs of passengers and strive to provide a more convenient and efficient riding experience.”