7 October2016, Johannesburg  The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport today officiated over the launch of the Electronic Fare Collection System at the Bosman Taxi Rank, which will allowcommuters to just pay with a simple tap when boarding a taxi. Minister of Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, Chairman of Taxi Choice, Director of XH Smart Technology Africa Chen Jie and relevant departments attended thelaunch event.  Minister of Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport said in his speech at the launch event that the first phase, which is the JPM route, busiest route in the country, is set to berolled out in February 2017, where by commuters will be able to load their cardsvia point of sale (POS) devices and via kiosks at taxi ranks. He also pointedout that the use of  Electronic Fare Collection System will also be extended to high-speed railway and bus transportation as soon as possible, to realize cashless farepayment system in all transportation methods. Taxi Choice’s executive official, said that the project is planned to allow for better control of cash in the taxiindustry. “In 3-5 years time of the launch, there will be 15 million taxipassengers enjoy the safety and convenience brought by cashless fare paymentsystem on daily basis. They will be able to avoid any cash and to use bankcards,top-up transportation cards or QR code to pay for taxi fares. The system ismaking use of a very high technology and the same system can be used for busesand trains, to make public transport efficient, reliable and safe,” he added.  Thecard-based project – which is backed by the Gauteng Provincial Government andheaded up by the Taxi Choice - the commercial arm of the South African NationalTaxi Council (Santaco), will be introduced to the Johannesburg, Pretoria andMabopane route.  XH Smart Technology Africa, together with other partners, are the primary technology partner behind the system’s back and front end, including OS, POS devices,in-vehicle screens, transportation cards, etc. Nearly 200 thousand taxis in South Africa will be equipped with electronic payment devices and free wificater to passengers in 3 years time.  Chen Jie, Directorof XH Smart Technology South Africa pointed out that replacing cash with latest electronic payment technology is only part of its projects’ initial progress.The next step is to provide passengers financial and mobile payment services through XH Smart’s OS and smart devices. This project will significantly broaden financial service coverage and add value to South Africa’s over all economic development.  Establishedin 2011 in Guangdong Province Zhuhai Free Trade Zone, XH is one of the fastestgrowing smart cards and smart card solutions provider in China supportingcustomers both in China and international markets. XH is the flagship companyin Guangdong provice “Going out”strategy and “One Belt One Road”strategy. XH'sproven products and services are deployed in more than 50 countries coveringEurope, Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. XH Smart Technology SouthAfrica is a joint venture between XH and local company incorporated in December2015. XH Smart Technology South Africa aims to provide latest payment productsand system services to Africa’s finance, communication and government projects. Since its inception, the company has investedheavily in R&D and has registered numerous patents in the area ofproduction automation and copyright. XH has also achieved ISO9001, ISO14001,ISO18001, ISO27001, GSMA SAS, Visa, Mastercard and China UnionPay certificationfor production of schemed payment cards. XH Smart Technology South Africa will provideadvanced technology support and seamless services in the upcoming ElectronicFare Collection System project. It promotes the smart transformation of SouthAfrica’s electronic transportation fare payment system and brings convenienceto local residents by best technology and service solutions.