It has been announced that from the spring of 2024, all stations of the Kobe Municipal Subwaywill be able to accept credit cards and other forms of touch payment boarding. The start date is April 2024, with the aim of improving convenience in preparation for the World Para Athletics Championships and the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Credit Card Touch Payment Rides Now Available at All Stations of Kobe Municipal Subway
The Kobe City Transportation Bureau, Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Visa Worldwide Japan K.K., JCB Corporation, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems Corporation, and QUADRAC Corporation have announced that all stations of the Kobe City Subway will now allow passengers to board trains using touch-sensitive cards and smartphones. The new system is scheduled to begin in April 2024. The start date is scheduled for April 2024.
This measure was taken in anticipation of the increase in the number of domestic and international visitors to the city due to the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and the internationalization of the Kobe Airport. By making it possible to board the bus with touch-sensitive payment, it will be unnecessary to exchange cash or purchase a ticket, and passengers will be able to board the bus easily even if they do not have an IC card. In the future, the company plans to link up with local facilities and services along the line by using cards that support touch-sensitive payment.
All Kobe Municipal Subway stations that support touch-settlement are as follows
- Tanigami
- Shin-Kobe
- Sannomiya
- Kencho-mae
- Okurayama
- Uesawa
- Minatogawa Koen
- Nagata(In front of Nagata Shrine)
- Shin-Nagata (in front of Tetsujin 28)
- Itajuku
- Myohoji Temple
- Naya
- Sogo Undo Koen
- Gakuentoshi
- Ikawadani
- Seishinnami
- Seishin Chuo
- Sannomiya, Hanadokei-mae
- Kyu-kyoryuchi/Daimaru-mae
- Minato Motomachi
- Harbor Land
- In front of Central Market
- Cape Wada
- Misaki Park
- Karimo
- Komagabayashi (Town of the Three Kingdoms)
Supported payment brands are Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay, with Mastercard to be added in due course. Touch payment history can be checked by accessing QUADRAC's Q-move site and registering as a member. For details, please visit the official Kobe City Subway website.
| Role of each company | |
|---|---|
| Kobe City Transportation Bureau | Operation of trains, implementation of projects utilizing touch-settlement |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. | Project management, support for introduction of cashless payment, provision of stera platform (stera transit) |
| Visa Worldwide | Provision of solutions and recognition promotion for Visa's touch payment |
| JCB Corporation | Support for introduction of cashless payment, provision of solutions and awareness promotion for JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover touch payment |
| Toshiba Infrastructure Systems Corporation | Development of ticket checker dedicated for touch payment |
| QUADRAC Corporation | Provision of SaaS-type platform "Q-move" for payment and authentication for transportation operators |