SAPICA
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 system for public transport in Sapporo
Sapporo, Hokkaido
is the fourth-largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan....
, 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...
. Sapporo City Transportation Bureau
Sapporo City Transportation Bureau
Sapporo City Transportation Bureau is a public organization of transportation in Sapporo, Japan. The organization operates subways and a tram. It was founded in 1927, when the city took private tram lines. The bureau also started to operate bus lines from 1930, subways from 1971. However, from...
introduced the system from January 30 2009. The name of the card means "Sapporo's IC card". is also the sound (onomatopoeia) of quickly pulling a card out and is the sound equivalent to "beep". The card is issued by , the third sector (half public) company of Sapporo City Government.
The integrated service with Kitaca
Kitaca
is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Sapporo, Japan. Hokkaidō Railway Company introduced the system from October 25 2008. Its name means "the card of ", while 北 is also the first character of . Like other electronic fare collection systems in Japan, the...
, a smart card system by JR Hokkaidō
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group , and thus often known as . It operates intercity rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart card ticketing system, from autumn 2008....
, was initially considered, but they decided to introduce the different systems because of the technical and financial difficulties. However, the two operators hope to start an integration service in future.
From 2001 to 2004, Sapporo Municipal Subway
Sapporo Municipal Subway
The is an underground rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau.-Lines:The system has 3 lines; the first, the Namboku Line, was opened in 1971 prior to the 1972 Winter Olympics.-Technology:...
experimented a different smart card called .
Usable area
As of its introduction on January 30, 2009, the card is usable on Sapporo Municipal Subway Lines. The transportation bureau states the card will be usable on Sapporo Street CarSapporo Street Car
The is a tram network located in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau. The system is sometimes referred to by residents as simply the . The first section of the network opened in 1909 as the ; it was electrified in 1918. The Transportation Bureau took...
and Sapporo City Bus as well in future.
Types of cards
- Unregistered SAPICA: For adults only.
- Registered SAPICA: For adults and children. A card can be reissued when a user lost it.
- SAPICA commuter's pass: For adults and children, with registrations.