PASMO
LocationKantō region, Sendai area, Niigata area
Launched18 March 2007
Technology
ManagerPassnet Bus IC Card Co., Ltd.
CurrencyJapanese yen
Stored-valuePay as you go
Validity
Retailed
  • Private railways
Websitewww.pasmo.co.jp

PASMO Card (reverse)
PASMO-compatible ticket gates at Otorii Station (Keikyu Line)
KANACHU bus touch sensor for SUICA and PASMO IC cards next to the driver's seat and fare box

Pasmo (パスモ, Pasumo, stylized as PASMO) is a rechargeable contactless smart card electronic money system. It is primarily used for public transport in Tokyo, Japan, where it was introduced on 18 March 2007. Pasmo can also be used as a payment card for vending machines and stores.

Pasmo is a development of the Passnet system used by many non-JR railway lines in the Greater Tokyo Area. The system offers interoperability with the JR East Suica system, as well as integrating private bus companies into the former Passnet network.

The technology is based on an RFID technology developed by Sony known as FeliCa.

As of April 2009, there are over 11 million cards in circulation.[1]

Companies and organizations accepting Pasmo

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Railways

Most railway operators introduced the system simultaneously when Pasmo started.

Buses and tramways

Bus and tramway operators have been introducing Pasmo readers on their systems gradually.

Popularity

On April 11, 2007, it was announced that sales of Pasmo fare cards would be limited to commuter rail pass purchases until August due to extremely high demand. It was originally predicted that approximately 2 million Pasmo cards would be sold in the first month, but about 3 million were actually sold, and stocks of Pasmo cards were running out.[2] Sales of regular Pasmo cards resumed on September 10, 2007. Until this date, only Pasmo commuter rail passes could be purchased.

Usage with other systems

Through collaboration with JR East, passengers can use Pasmo cards wherever Suica cards are accepted to ride nearly any railway, metro, or bus in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Transit systems/lines outside the Pasmo system but usable with the Pasmo card include:

In July 22, 2014, Nintendo added support for Suica and Pasmo cards in the Nintendo eShop through the NFC function of the Wii U GamePad[4] and the New Nintendo 3DS.[5] The service was then discontinued in January 18, 2022.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Suica, Pasmoの合計発売枚数が" [The total number of Suica and Pasmo sold] (PDF) (in Japanese). 13 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Pasmo fare card selling out too fast". The Japan Times. 12 April 2007. Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  3. ^ Began operation on March 18, 2007
  4. ^ "交通系電子マネーを使ってWii Uのチャージに挑戦、手軽さが魅力的". インサイド (in Japanese). 22 July 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Nintendo Shows Off NFC eShop Payments for New Nintendo 3DS in Japan". Nintendo Life. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  6. ^ "ニンテンドー3DSシリーズおよびWii U内のニンテンドーeショップにおけるクレジットカードと交通系電子マネーのご利用取扱い終了について" [Regarding the termination of use of credit cards and transportation electronic money at the Nintendo 3DS series and the Nintendo eShop in Wii U]. nintendo.co.jp (in Japanese). 20 July 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to PASMO.
Smart cards in Japan
Mass transit in the Greater Tokyo Area
Mass transit in the Odawara, Hakone, Izu Peninsula, Fuji Five Lakes, and Mount Fuji area
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