Xi'an Public Transportation Card

Xi'an Public Transportation Card -- Chang An Tong

Xi'an Public Transportation Card, also known as Chang An Tong or Yi Ka Tong, like the MetroCard in New York City and the Oyster Card in London, is a kind of smart card which can be widely used on buses and the metro. It offers a 50% discount on each bus trip and a 10% discount on the metro. One can also pay taxi fares with it on the cabs which are equipped with card readers. In addition, this card can be used to rent a public bicycle in the city at very low price. It offers great convenience for locals and travelers who plan to stay over in Xi'an.

 Public Transportation Card Service Center Hot Line: 86-029-86365033 & 86-029-86365038
 Both of the citizens and visitors in Xi'an can apply for the Card.
  Purchasing one: You have to pay for CNY18 to buy a new card and then add any value as you wish. Please note that the purchased card could not be refund.

 Renting one: When you rent a card, you will be required to put down a deposit of CNY22/card as well as funds for its use. The rent is CNY0.5/month (malcontent of a month calculate by a month). This kind of card could be refund so that you could withdraw the rest deposit and balance in it.
 You could purchase or rent a card at the bus company, the branches of the Xi'an City Commercial Bank and the China Construction Bank. Besides, alomost all Xi'an metro stations have automatic vending machines, or you can choose to go to the metro's manual service desk for bus cards.

Here are some addresses for you to purchase or rent a card:
No. 155 Shangde Road, Intersection of Xiwu Road and Sunde Road, near Xi’an Railway Station
Entrance to parking lot, B1 floor, Xi’an north railway station
No.1, Huanta East Road, north square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Yanta District
Xi’an zhonglou metro station, near Bell Tower
Xi’an Commercial Bank, No. 129 North Street, next to the Stomatological Hospital
                                                                                      On bus: The cards are accepted on busses that bear the distinct card mark on their front door. When entering the bus, place your card within 6 cm (2.4 inches) of the card reader, which will be located near the front door of the bus. Once the transaction is processed, the reader will show a green light and beep to indicate success, and then display the remaining balance. Please note that a card can be used by multiple passengers each trip, as allowed by the balance.

 On metro: The card can be used on all metro lines. Upon entering the metro station, scan the metro card and the automatic barrier will open to allow one person to pass. The card can only be used by one person for each trip. When exiting the metro station, one also needs to scan the card, and the balance will be shown.

 On renting public bicycles: There are many bicycle rental sites in the city. Just find a dedicated site, and scan the transportation card at the card reader area. The rental machine will announce the success of the rental. When returning the bike, just scan the card and lock the bike.
 Entrance to parking lot, B1 floor, Xi’an north railway station
1st Floor, Baima International Plaza, Changle West Road (outside Chaoyangmen)
No. 8 Fengcheng 8th Road (next to the Construction Bank) 
 If you return your card in good condition, without any visible damage, you will receive both your rest deposit and the full balance remaining. However, if your card has been damaged by human error, you will lose your deposit and receive only the remaining balance.