Starting today on the Seoul Ui-Sinseol light rail line (우이신설선) of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, also called simply the Ui LRT, you can take the train without taking out your transit card. Last month they trialed the walk-through type gates that automatically "beep" you in via your smartphone, and today the system is expanded along this line to further test it out.
To use it, you just need the T-money app installed in your Android phone, and via automatic Bluetooth signal, you can just walk through the gate and it will deduct your fare. No need to remove the phone from your pocket, tap it against a terminal pad, etc. Just walk right on through.
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| "Tagless" option enabled in the mobile T-money app |
This is probably great news for the disabled, people carrying luggage and children, people who don't want to waste time fumbling through their wallet because they have multiple NFC-enabled cards in there and slapping the wallet on the pad gives an "Error: too many cards" alert.
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| Tagless gate at Samyang Intersection Station (삼양사거리역) |
If you ask me, this is bad news though for iPhone users. There have been rumors that iOS 17 would finally integrate Apple Wallet into the T-money network so that iPhone users could tap-to-pay for the subway, buses, and taxis. But just when that feature may finally be arriving, this new tagless system is debuted which of course is only currently compatible with the Android version of the T-money app.
The iPhone has a T-money app, but it can only be used via QR codes (which are supported in shops and stores but not by the transportation network) or in conjunction with a stick-on T-money mini card. The Android version, meanwhile, has nearly always supported tap-to-pay for the transit system. Who knows when or if the iPhone will ever be compatible with this tagless walk-through system.
For now, the walk-through gates will still all have normal NFC reading terminal pads on them, in case somehow your Bluetooth signal doesn't go through or if you need to use the physical card for whatever reason.
It looks like the list of stations on this rail line that will have serviced walk-through gates include:
- 북한산우이
- 솔밭공원
- 4.19민주묘지
- 가오리
- 화계
- 삼양
- 삼양사거리
- 솔샘
- 북한산보국문
- 정릉
- 성신여대입구
- 신설동역
Anybody in that area willing to take a ride and give it a try?
There are also busses throughout Gyeonggi-do that accept this tagless payment too. It would be pretty neat to walk out your door, board a bus, get off at the subway station, get on a train, and get off at your office, the entire time just walking right through, never having to take out your phone or a card at all. Imagine expanding this payment option to things like unmanned convenience stores and the like. Pretty neat.
Sources:
Update: I guess I didn't really need to make this post, since the regular media put out some English articles too.
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