PiTaPa
Encyclopedia
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
ticketing and electronic money
Electronic money
Electronic money is money or scrip that is only exchanged electronically. Typically, this involves the use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems...
system used in the Kansai region (and may also be used in some areas of Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
, and Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
) of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The name PiTaPa is an acronym of "Postpay IC
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
for Touch and Pay".http://www.pitapa.com/faq/index1.html#kihon04 , the card can be used on 19 train systems and 11 buses, including the Osaka Municipal Subway
Osaka Municipal Subway
is the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, forming an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. In 2010 the greater Osaka region had 13 million rail passengers daily of which the Osaka...
and New Tram, the Keihan Electric Railway
Keihan Electric Railway
is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River...
, and the Hankyu Railway
Hankyu Railway
is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
.
System overview
PiTaPa is operated by the Surutto KANSAI Conference, along with magnetic pre-paid fare card system Surutto KANSAI. The conference consists of transit companies and bureaus using the system, and is headed by a private company by the name of Surutto KANSAI.Unlike most other electronic fare collection systems, including JR East's Suica
Suica
is a rechargeable contactless smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. Launched in November 2001, the card is usable currently in the Kantō region, at JR East stations near Sendai and Niigata...
and JR West's ICOCA
ICOCA
The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe...
which operate on a "pre-pay" basis, PiTaPa is a "post-pay" card. Usage of the card is charged to the customer's account, and each month the balance owing is deducted from a designated bank account, as in a charge card
Charge card
A charge card is a card that provides an alternative payment to cash when making purchases in which the issuer and the cardholder enter into an agreement that the debt incurred on the charge account will be paid in full and by due date or be subject to severe late fees and restrictions on card...
. As such, a credit check is required to obtain a PiTaPa card, and the allowable balance is capped. Since June 2006, people over 20 can obtain a card secured by a deposit in lieu of the credit check, although these cards can only be used to pay transport fares or in limited stores, without the electronic money functions of a normal credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
.
Like Suica and ICOCA, the underlying technology behind PiTaPa is Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's FeliCa
FeliCa
FeliCa is a contactless RFID smart card system from Sony in Japan, primarily used in electronic money cards. The name stands for Felicity Card...
smart card system.
Card types
"PiTaPa Basic Card" is the name given to the PiTaPa cards per se, and are issued by the Surutto KANSAI Conference.Most traffic companies in the PiTaPa network issue PiTaPa-compatible cards of their brands, either on their own or jointly with other companies. The cards, called "PiTaPa Affiliate Cards" by the Surutto KANSAi Conference, typically are built within credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s and have special services or discounts offered by its issuers.
Due to heavy marketing of the Affiliate Cards by the individual companies, the Basic Cards only comprise 10-20 percent of all the PiTaPa cards issued .
History
The concept to introduce a smart card fare system in the Kansai region was first announced on July 7, 2001 by the Surutto KANSAI Conference. The Conference initially announced in April 2002 that they are planning to consign operation of the system to Hitachi Ltd. and JCBJapan Credit Bureau
Japan Credit Bureau is a credit card company based in Tokyo, Japan. Its English name is .Founded in 1961, JCB established dominance over the Japanese credit card market when it purchased Osaka Credit Bureau in 1968, and its cards are now issued in 20 different countries...
, but switched to the Japan Research Institute and Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company on July 2003. The name "PiTaPa" was made public on February 25, 2003.
After four months of initial monitor testing, the service officially started on August 1, 2004 with three participating companies: Hankyu, Keihan, and Nose railways. Since then, the network has grown steadily. PiTaPa can be used on the ICOCA
ICOCA
The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe...
system starting on January 21, 2006 (see JR section below).
Companies and bureaus accepting PiTaPa
, the following parties take part in the PiTaPa network. The list is growing rapidly and subject to change.Railroads
| Company name | Name of affiliate card | Joined |
|---|---|---|
| Hankyu Railway Hankyu Railway is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka... |
HANA PLUS Card*1 | August 1, 2004 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Nose Railway Nose Railway , occasionally abbreviated as Nose Railway or , is a Japanese private railway company headquartered in Kawanishi, which links several areas in the mountainous Nose, Osaka, area to Kawanishi-noseguchi Station in Kawanishi, Hyōgo, where one can transfer to Hankyu Takarazuka Line to Osaka.Nose Railway... |
HANA PLUS Card*1 | August 1, 2004 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Keihan Electric Railway Keihan Electric Railway is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River... |
e-kenet PiTaPa | August 1, 2004 |
| Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau is a public department of transportation of the city of Osaka, Japan, which operates the municipal subway lines, the New Tram and city buses.-Current:... |
OSAKA PiTaPa | February 1, 2006 |
| Hanshin Electric Railway Hanshin Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when... |
CoCoNet PiTaPa Card*1 | February 1, 2006 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Osaka Monorail | HANA PLUS Card*1 | February 1, 2006 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway The is a railway operator of Osaka, Japan. The sole line named is actually an extension of the Midōsuji Line Osaka Municipal Subway. Kitakyū, as it is often abbreviated, also owns various commercial and residential properties along the line.-History:... |
HANA PLUS Card*1 | February 1, 2006 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Nankai Electric Railway Nankai Electric Railway is a private railway in Japan. IC cards are accepted.Nankai Railway Company was founded on June 16, 1884, then became one of the companies that merge to form Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in 1944. However Kin-nichi transferred the former Nankai Railway Company Lines to present Nankai Electric... |
Nankai Group Card minapita Nankai Group Card minapita The is smart card which the Nankai Electric Railway has issued.Often, it is called "minapita Card" and "minapita", but formal name is "Nankai Group Card minapita".PR sentence with as follows is written in Japanese.「ミナミで買う＋PiTaPaで乗る＝minapita」 and 「ミナミで『買う』＋『乗る』＝『得する』」.Below and minapita it... |
July 1, 2006 |
| Semboku Rapid Railway Semboku Rapid Railway is the railroad route of the Osaka Prefectural Urban Development as a means of transportation for Senboku New Town, and connects Izumi-Chūō Station with Nakamozu Station, with through operations to Nankai Electric Railway's Kōya Line up to Namba Station of southern downtown Osaka.-Operation:Along... |
Nankai Group Card minapita | July 1, 2006 |
| Kobe Rapid Railway Kobe Rapid Railway Kōbe Rapid Transit Railway Company, Limited is a special railway company in central Kobe, Japan.- Lines :Kobe Rapid Railway has three lines.*Tozai Line *Namboku Line *Hokushin Line... |
KOBE PiTaPa | July 1, 2006 |
| Kobe New Transit Kobe New Transit is the third-sector semipublic company that runs Port Island Line and Rokkō Island Line automated guideway transit systems in Kobe, Japan... |
KOBE PiTaPa | July 1, 2006 |
| Sanyo Electric Railway Sanyo Electric Railway Sanyo Electric Railway Co., Ltd. is a Japanese private railway in western Hyōgo Prefecture... |
KOBE PiTaPa | July 1, 2006 |
| Okayama Electric Tramway Okayama Electric Tramway The is a transportation company in Okayama City, Japan. The private company operates tram lines and bus lines.The company was founded in 1910, while their first tram line was opened in 1912. This is one of the few Japanese railway operators that maintain their original corporation names from the... |
(no original PiTaPa brand) | October 1, 2006 |
| Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau is an agency of the city government of Kobe, Japan that operates municipal subways and city buses. Previously, it also operated city trams.*Kobe Municipal Subway**Seishin-Yamate Line**Kaigan Line*City Bus- Tram :... |
KOBE PiTaPa | October 1, 2006 |
| Hokushin Kyuko Railway | KOBE PiTaPa | October 1, 2006 |
| Kintetsu Kintetsu , named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise... |
KIPS PiTaPa | April 1, 2007 |
| Kobe Electric Railway Kobe Electric Railway , often called Shintetsu , is a Japanese private railway company in Kobe and surrounding cities.-Lines:*Arima Line *Sanda Line *Kōen-Toshi Line *Ao Line... |
KOBE PiTaPa | April 1, 2007 |
| Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau is an agency of the city government of Kyoto, Japan that operates municipal subways and city buses within the city. Previously, it also operated trams and trolley buses.-Subway:The Kyoto Municipal Subway operates the following two lines:*Karasuma Line... |
Kyoto+ OSAKA PiTaPa | April 1, 2007 |
| Shizuoka Railway Shizuoka Railway The , also known as “Shizutetsu” is a private railway in Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. In addition to its railway business, the Shizuoka Railway Company owns large bus and taxi services, a department store, supermarkets, a construction company and real estate holdings.... |
LuLuCa+PiTaPa LuLuCa is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Shizuoka, Japan, introduced by Shizuoka Railway group, from March, 2006. The card is officially called SHIZUTETSU CARD LuLuCa. Just like JR East's Suica or JR West's ICOCA, the card uses RFID technology developed by... |
September 1, 2007 |
* 1: These names of affiliate card were renamed and merged as "STACIA Card".
Buses
| Company name | Name of affiliate card | Joined |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau is a public department of transportation of the city of Osaka, Japan, which operates the municipal subway lines, the New Tram and city buses.-Current:... |
OSAKA PiTaPa | February 1, 2006 |
| Hankyu Bus | HANA PLUS Card*1 | February 1, 2006 |
| STACIA Card | October 1, 2007 | |
| Shinki Bus & Shinki Zone Bus | (no original PiTaPa brand) | February 1, 2006 |
| Osaka Airport Transport | (no original PiTaPa brand) | October 1, 2006 |
| Okayama Electric Tramway | (no original PiTaPa brand) | October 1, 2006 |
| Shimotsui Dentetsu | (no original PiTaPa brand) | October 1, 2006 |
| Ryobi Bus | (no original PiTaPa brand) | October 1, 2006 |
| Nara Kotsu | CI-CA (only for Nara kotsu and NC Bus) | April 1, 2007 |
| NC Bus | CI-CA (only for Nara kotsu and NC Bus) | April 1, 2007 |
| Shizutetsu Just Line | LuLuCa+PiTaPa | September 1, 2007 |
| Keihan Bus | e-kenet PiTaPa | October 1, 2007 |
| Keihan Kyoto Kotsu | e-kenet PiTaPa | March 1, 2008 |
| Takatsuki City Transportation | (no original PiTaPa brand) | April 1, 2008 |
| Itami City Transportation | (no original PiTaPa brand) | April 1, 2008 |
* 1: These names of affiliate card were renamed and merged as "STACIA Card".
Other cards
| Issuer | Name of card | Company name |
|---|---|---|
| Surutto KANSAI Conference | PiTaPa Basic Card | Surutto KANSAI Conference |
| Hankyu Hanshin Card | Persona STACIA Card | Persona |
| Takarazuka Revue STACIA Card | Takarazuka Revue Takarazuka Revue The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name... |
|
| Hankyu Hanshin Dai-ichi Hotel Group STACIA Card | Hankyu Hanshin Hotels | |
| STACIA+sai-ca Card | Bank Of Ikeda | |
| All Nippon Airways All Nippon Airways , also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009... |
ANA PiTaPa Card | All Nippon Airways |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Card | Sumitomo Mitsui PiTaPa Card | Sumitomo Mitsui Card |
| Nankai Electric Railway | KANKU CLUB Card | Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an... |
| Kansai Electric Power | Happy e PiTaPa Card | Kansai Electric Power |
JR
The JR West has its own ICOCAICOCA
The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe...
system, which operate on a "pre-pay" basis. PiTaPa can be used in place of an ICOCA card if the user charges money on to the card beforehand.
, PiTaPa cannot be used on the JR East's Suica
Suica
is a rechargeable contactless smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. Launched in November 2001, the card is usable currently in the Kantō region, at JR East stations near Sendai and Niigata...
system, nor Suica on PiTaPa. This has caused some confusions among users who assert that, since PiTaPa operates on the ICOCA system and since Suica and ICOCA are (virtually) interchangeable, PiTaPa must be accepted by JR East although that is not the case. However, the involving companies have announced in 2004 that they are preparing to integrate the three systems.http://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2004_1/20040410.pdf
External links
- PiTaPa.com
- Surutto KANSAI company profile
- Transportation in Osaka, including information on the PiTaPa card