HONG KONG, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- From now on, residents of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can pay minibus fares through AlipayHK e-wallet, announced by online payment service provider AlipayHK and AMS Public Transport, the minibus operator, on Monday.

At the initial stage, mobile payment supports green minibus routes number 8 and 8x. When travelling on these two routes, AlipayHK users can scan the QR code to pay with the e-wallet even when the balance is insufficient.

AlipayHK introduced a fast and convenient option for the public and facilitated the management of minibuses owned by operators, which was a big step towards smart city, said Jennifer Tan, CEO of AlipayHK.

Tan also expressed her wish for further cooperation with operators of transportation vehicles including buses, taxis, and ferries as local transportation was a major part in Hong Kong people's daily life.

By the end of the year 2019, over 300 minibuses operated by AMS on overall more than 90 routes would have supported mobile payment provided by AlipayHK, said Vincent Wong, the chairman of AMS.

The Transport Department of the government of China's HKSAR said that they would closely monitor the operation of the mobile payment system to protect the interests of passengers and road users. And they would liaise with minibus operators to extend the mobile payment system to other routes if the newly-adopted mobile payment was proven to be feasible and desirable.