The Shift to Ticketless Travel: Typically, passengers purchase a ticket for a specific route—such as “Station A → Station B”—and pay the corresponding fare at the time of purchase. In large metropolitan areas with many stations, tickets may be labeled as “Station A → [XX yen] zone,” but the basic concept remains the same. However, with the widespread adoption of automatic ticket gates, the situation has changed. First, a system using magnetic cards emerged, where “a lump sum is paid in advance, and when the card is inserted into the automatic ticket gate upon exiting, the fare for the traveled section is deducted.” These are called Stored Fare (SF) cards. The name refers to a card that uses fare that has been “stored” in advance. The well-known transportation IC cards are essentially this system implemented using IC chips instead of magnetic cards. While some smartphones now incorporate IC chip functionality, the basic concept and method of use remain the same. Here, too, the fare is deducted from the pre-charged balance upon exiting. If the required fare exceeds the remaining balance, an error occurs. However, since SF cards and transit IC cards must record the station of entry, the existence of automatic ticket gates is a prerequisite. Following the emergence of transit IC cards, simplified IC-card-only ticket gates that omit the physical gate were introduced; however, this still requires the installation of ticket gates at stations. Given these circumstances, implementing a ticketless system on lines or in areas where automatic ticket gates are not in place requires alternative solutions. One example that embodies this is JR Shikoku’s ticket app “Shikoku Smart Eki-chan” (commonly known as “Suma-eki”), which was previously featured in this series. While some view “Suma-Eki” as “a type of QR ticket,” the stations where passengers can actually display a QR code on their screen to pass through automatic ticket gates are limited to Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Kochi, and Tokushima. At other stations, passengers must show the ticket display on their screen to a train conductor or station attendant to gain access. This method—running a dedicated app on a smartphone to display information on the screen—is likely to become even more widespread in the future. It works even without automatic ticket gates, and it’s cheaper in various ways than magnetic tickets. On the other hand, if your smartphone breaks or gets lost, it could be a major disaster.
IC Cards Are the Standard for Shinkansen Ticketless Services With the exception of the West Kyushu Shinkansen, the Shinkansen currently supports ticketless services using IC cards. These include the “EX Service” on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen lines, and the “Shinkansen e-Ticket” on the Tohoku, Hokkaido, Joetsu, Hokuriku, Yamagata, and Akita Shinkansen lines. In both cases, users link their transportation IC card to their online reservation account; when boarding, they simply tap their IC card on the automatic ticket gate to enter and exit. While physical IC cards were commonly used initially, in recent years, more people have been using smartphones. This way, you can check both the train and seat number on your screen, making it a truly ticketless system. That said, a system is still in place to allow you to verify the train and seat number on paper—but this is intended for cases where you’re using an IC card rather than a smartphone. Consequently, some systems, such as the “Usage Ticket” for the EX Service, are scheduled to be phased out.
Ticketless Services Using QR Codes: There are also ticketless services, such as JR East’s “Ekinet Q-Ticket” and JR Kyushu’s “QR Ticketless,” that issue a QR code each time a ticket is purchased instead of using an IC card. The basic way to use these services is to display the QR code on your smartphone screen to pass through automatic ticket gates or present it to train crew or station staff. JR Kyushu has introduced “QR Tikeless” not only on its conventional lines but also on the West Kyushu Shinkansen. Since this line operates as a separate entity from other Shinkansen lines and is designed for transfers to conventional lines, it makes more sense to use the same system as the conventional lines. With these QR-based ticketless services, you can purchase a base fare ticket on its own, buy a base fare ticket and a limited-express ticket separately, or purchase a bundle that includes both. Since we’ve covered “Ekinet Q-Ticket” and “QR Ticketless” in this series before, please refer to those articles for details. In some countries, when you purchase a ticket online, you receive a PDF file containing a QR code with the ticket information embedded in it. Currently, this method does not appear to be in use in Japan. However, for domestic flights, QR codes are included on the “e-ticket passenger copy.”
Ticketless Systems for Limited Express and Reserved-Seat Tickets Recently, there has been a growing trend toward ticketless systems on limited express trains and trains (or cars) with reserved seating on conventional lines. The specific formats vary depending on the operator and the train. For example, with “Ekinet,” the only ticket you need to purchase each time you board is the ticketless limited-express ticket; the local fare is paid using a transportation IC card. Displaying the information for the purchased ticketless limited-express ticket on the screen of the “Ekinet Ticketless Dedicated” app serves as proof that you have purchased the correct limited-express ticket. This app is also used to confirm the train and seat number. However, there are also systems that do not require the development and distribution of a dedicated app. “Tobu-Tike!”, introduced by Tobu Railway, is a typical example: information for limited express tickets purchased through the website is not written to the IC card, nor is a QR code printed or displayed on the screen. Information regarding the purchased train and seat number is sent via email, so it’s essential to keep that email accessible on your smartphone at all times. If you’re concerned, you can print it out on paper and carry it with you—but then it becomes unclear whether it’s truly a “ticketless” system or not.
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