(Yicai) Feb. 9 -- Hong Kong residents have been able to use AlipayHK, a version of Ant Group's mobile payment platform Alipay for the special administrative region, to take public transport in Shanghai since Feb. 6.

AlipayHK joined hands with the Shanghai Public Transportation Card Company to launch a service allowing users to get their QR code scanned to pay for public transport in the city in Hong Kong dollars, Yicai learned.

“Before when coming to Shanghai, I had to exchange Hong Kong dollars for small change to take transport,” a Hong Kong resident told Yicai. “Now, with AlipayHK, it’s very convenient. Whether taking public transport, shopping, or dining in Shanghai, I can pay with my phone, like I’m in Hong Kong.”

AlipayHK is the first offshore payment tool to allow its users to pay for public transport in Shanghai through QR code scanning, SPTCC spokesperson Wang Jian told Yicai. This is also the first time such a one-step direct payment service is offered to non-Chinese mainland residents by the city's public transportation system, Wang added.

The move is the latest in Shanghai's efforts to make payments easier for visitors to the mainland. They made the second-most number of mobile payment transactions in the city in the three months ended Dec. 31, a 79 percent surge on the previous quarter, according to official figures. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ranked top.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev