In May 2006, Beijing improved the lives of millions of commuters by unveiling prepaid transportation IC cards (CSe¡ª shizheng jiaotong yikatong).
These smartcards can be used to pay for bus, subway and sometimes taxi rides. The cards can be purchased and topped up at all subway stations and many bus stations, including the big ones listed below - go to thewindow marked.
Travelers must pay an RMB 20 deposit for the card and can put as much as RMB 1,000 on it. The fare is deducted automatically with a simple swipe of the card over a machine.