Hankyu Railway Company, in collaboration with multiple partners, has announced the initiation of a touch payment service for riding trains across all its stations by the end of 2024​​. This innovative move allows passengers to use their contactless payment-enabled cards or smartphones to pass through the ticket gates, eliminating the need to charge IC cards​​.

This service, leveraging the “stera transit” solution provided by Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, will facilitate a smoother travel experience for daily commuters as well as the expected influx of international visitors during the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025​. All Hankyu Railway stations, with the exception of Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line’s Tenjinbashi-Suji 6-chome Station, will be equipped with at least one dedicated reader at each ticket gate to support this service​.

The payment brands supported at the launch will include Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay, with plans to add Mastercard in the future​​. Each collaborating company plays a vital role: Hankyu Railway oversees train operations and infrastructure for touch payment, Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company assists with the cashless payment adoption and provides the platform, while Visa Worldwide and JCB among others support the payment solutions and promote awareness​​.

This strategic development is part of a broader trend towards cashless transactions in Japan and is poised to enhance the convenience and efficiency of public transportation services in the region.

Official Press Release Can be found here. (Japanese)

Side note: Sydney, Australia has also implemented this and when travelling though Sydney in August 2023, it was a game changer. The easy of coming out of the airport and getting the train to the city centre, catching the ferry across the bay and all aspects of travel were smooth and hassle free.

I would love to see this adopted by all train/bus companies in Japan.

^{Main image AI generated.}