JR East will offer a new ticketless boarding service using QR codes, which will be introduced in the Tohoku area in the second half of FY2024, followed by a gradual expansion of the service area.
By selecting “QR Ride” when making a reservation or purchasing a ticket on “Ekinet” and then passing the QR code displayed on the Ekinet application over an automatic ticket gate, you can use both the Shinkansen and local train seamlessly without using a ticket machine or ticket counter at the station even without a Suica. Even if you do not have a Suica card, you can board a train without going through a ticket machine or ticket window at the station.
The system consists of a central server that determines the validity of tickets based on the QR ticket information read by the ticket checker, and new automatic ticket checkers equipped with QR readers will be installed in some corridors in conjunction with the replacement of aging automatic ticket checkers that will begin in December. At stations without automatic ticket checkers, a method for passengers to start and end ticket use by themselves on the application is being considered.
© Source travel watch