Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co. Ltd. on April 1 discontinued the use of the magnetic stripe cards for access to all of its 12 bus lines, according to the regional transport network operator in Japan. The agency launched the mag-stripe card program 17 years ago.
Nishi-Nippon now requires all passengers to use contactless cards or cash to buy tickets, agency spokesperson Soh Matsuki tells PaymentsSource. “Aside from [Nishi-Nippon’s] Nimoca card, passengers can also use Suica, Sugoca and Hayakaken cards,” he says.
Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau launched Hayakaken for the city’s subway users in March 2009, around the same time West Japan Railway Co. Ltd. introduced Sugoca. Nishi-Nippon began supporting Nimoca cards on its regional network in May 2008, seven years after East Japan Railway Co. Ltd launched Suica.
All the four cards use the Felica chip, a contactless-payment technology Sony Corp. developed for use in stores with card readers for small purchases. “The IC cards are multifunctional and interchangeable, and we hope more passengers will enjoy the convenience,” Matsuki says.
