Just get a TAP card(公交充值卡), which works much like a debit card (without the hassle of entering your PIN). Basically, you load up cash in advance with a required minimum amount of $2, and when you get on any Metro bus or Metro rail, you simply place your TAP card on the farebox's TAP target (you will hear a loud beep, which tells you as well as the bus or rail operator that your card is valid and a proper amount has been deducted from the electronic chip inside your TAP card. Cash value stored on your TAP card has no expiration date, but you can't cash them out.