Passengers use mobile payment to take subway at the Dayanta Station of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 1, 2017.  Photo: Xinhua

New York's transit system has finally introduced a touch-and-go payment method that has been widely used in China for years.

"You can just tap your phone or credit card to pay," a video by the American news website Cheddar reported from Bowling Green subway station. The video was posted on Sina Weibo on Thursday.

The video shows only the project manager using the new payment method.

"It's excellent…I'm very proud," Al Putro, the payment program executive, told Cheddar. 

"I think we're going to see a big uptake as we roll it out and we continue to publicize it. It beats the metro card by a mile," Putro said.

The video has gone viral on Chinese social media with many netizens saying China obviously keeps far ahead in cashless payment technology. Some congratulated New York for adopting the new method. 

Chinese commuters and consumers have been using their mobile phones to scan a QR code or tap a terminal to make a purchase or payment for years.

Global Times