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No cash, no card, no problem: Busan buses now accept QR payment
Getting around Busan just got easier for international visitors. From Sept. 21, travelers can pay bus fares by scanning a Zero Pay QR code with their own mobile payment app.
The move comes amid Busan's international tourism boom. Foreign visitors to the city are projected to top 4 million this year, with more than 60% coming from Asian markets including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Mobile payment is already widely used by many of these travelers, especially those from China, and demand has grown for a way to use familiar apps on Busan's public transit.
The new QR service answers that call, linking into Zero Pay’s global network to support dozens of overseas payment apps — including Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay from China, and PayPay from Japan.
How it works:
1. After boarding, open a supported payment app and scan the QR code posted inside.
2. Select the payment option — the fare converts automatically to the rider's home currency.
3. Show the payment confirmation screen to the driver.
The QR fare is a flat 1,700 won per person, matching the standard adult cash fare — the same rate applies to children and teens. Group travelers should each pay separately, and since the service replaces cash rather than a transit card, transfer discounts don't apply.
QR codes and multilingual instructions are up on every city bus, with guidance posted at stops and information centers near top attractions. Visitors arriving at Busan Station and Busan Port will find promotional materials waiting, making the new payment option easy to spot from the moment they land.
<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>
payment: 결제 board: 탑승하다 fare: 요금 convert: 전환되다 currency: 통화 comfirmation: 확정
Editor: Song Soomi
Copy Editors: Ryu Hyoseung, Anton J. Mapoy