Face Pay system starts working in all Moscow metro stations

MOSCOW. Oct 15 (Interfax) - Face Pay system, allowing to pay for rides via facial recognition, has started working in all Moscow metro stations, Deputy Moscow Mayor for Transport Maxim Liksutov told Interfax.

"We have launched Face Pay [system of] paying for rides using facial recognition on the orders of Moscow's mayor [Sergei Sobyanin]. Moscow is the first city in the world where such system has started working on such scale," Liksutov said.

The system is now working in 240 metro stations, he said.

Joining the Face Pay system is voluntary, and this payment means will be used along with others, Liksutov said.

It is necessary to add a photo, banking card and Troika metro pass to the Moscow Metro app to get Face Pay service. It is possible to enter metro through specially labeled gates. The service is available several hours after registration in the Moscow Metro app.

Data of Face Pay users will be encrypted, with gates cameras to be comparing a biometric key rather than personal data, he said.

It is expected that 10%-15% of passengers will regularly use the Face Pay service in the next two or three years. If the service proves to be in demand, the number of special gates is expected to grow.