(123rf)
Starting in 2025, some of Kumamoto Prefecture’s buses and trains will no longer be accepting Suica or Pasmo cards for public transportation fares.
Last year, the prefecture’s capital, Kumamoto City, started to phase in cashless payments with credit cards and QR codes for streetcar fares. Due to the success of going cashless, five other train and bus companies in the prefecture are modernizing their payment systems as well.
Besides being convenient, the new system reduces costs for the train and bus companies, Kumamoto Joint Management Promotion Office officials said.
While touch payments with credit cards and QR codes have been available in major cities overseas like London and New York, cities in Japan have been slow to adapt to the changes. So far, Kumamoto and Ibaraki Kotsu are the first in Japan to start transitioning away from transportation cards and towards credit and mobile fares. But, you may soon see others cities following suit.
(123rf)
