Kobe City Transportation Bureau, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Visa Worldwide Japan, JCB, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems, and QUADRAC will collaborate to introduce touch payment at all Kobe City Subway stations from April 2024.
By holding a touch-sensitive card or smartphone over a ticket gate at the station, passengers can board the subway without purchasing a ticket or recharging their IC card. The company is aiming for smooth use of the subway by touch payment as part of its efforts to improve the environment in anticipation of an increase in domestic and international visitors to the city due to the upcoming “World Para Athletics Championships” and “Osaka-Kansai Expo”.
The card brands that can be used for touch payment are Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay, and Mastercard is scheduled to be added gradually after the start of operation.
The passenger’s boarding and alighting history for touch payment can be checked after accessing the Q-move site of QUADRAC, which provides a payment and authentication platform for transportation operators, and completing the membership registration process on “My Page”.
© Source travel watch