Tencent’s QR code payment service for public transportation “sao yi sao” (扫一扫) has reached more than 50 million users across 100 cities since its launch in 2017, local media is reporting (in Chinese).

Over the past year, the internet giant has been focusing more heavily on integrating its technologies into public transportation and piloting smart transportation initiatives in cities across China. The company recently announced that it is currently testing a new bus hailing system in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, and is exploring the application of cloud computing and big data in real-time traffic data analysis.

According to Zheng Haojian, vice president of Tencent, smart technologies currently account for only 20 to 40% of all travels in China which is relatively low compared with other developed countries. “If we can increase the ratio by 10 or 20 %, there will be a big improvement to traffic congestion,” said Zheng.

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