nimoca
nimoca (ニモカ, Nimoka) is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu) introduced the system on May 18, 2008. Its name is an acronym of "nice money card", while nimo (にも) in Japanese means "also," as the card is usable also on buses, also on trains, also for shopping, etc. Like other electronic fare collection systems in Japan, the card uses FeliCa, RFID technology developed by Sony. On March 13, 2010, nimoca has been interoperated with two similar cards in Fukuoka—SUGOCA from Kyūshū Railway Company (JR Kyūshū) and Hayakaken from Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau—plus Suica, a card used in Greater Tokyo Area by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). [1] The card features a ferret as the official mascot.
Usable area
As of December 2010
- Buses:
- Nishitetsu Group: All local bus lines, and some highway bus lines.
- Showa Bus: Some local bus lines in Fukuoka Prefecture and some express bus lines.
- Oita Bus, Oita Kotsu: Some local bus lines and some express bus lines.
- Trains: All the lines.
- Others (as electronic money): Solaria Plaza, Solaria Stage, Tenjin Core, Nishitetsu Store (those along Tenjin-Ōmuta Line), and others.
Future plans
- Buses:
- Oita Bus: All local bus lines.
- Oita Kotsu: All local bus lines and airport report bus lines.
- Kamenoi Bus: All local bus lines.
- All from March 2011
Mejiron nimoca
For more details, see the Mejiron nimoca section
The Mejiron nimoca (めじろんnimoca, Mejiron Nimoka) introduced the system on December 26, 2010 by Oita Bus, Oita Kotsu and Kamenoi Bus in Oita Prefecture.[2] The card features the face of Mejiron (めじろん?), Mejiron was made originally as the mascot of the sixty- third annual national athletic meeting held in the prefecture in 2008.
Types of cards
- nimoca: Does not require registration.
- Star nimoca: Requires registration. It can be reissued when a user lost it.
- Credit nimoca: A credit card with the above functions.
These three cards can be issued either as prepaid cards or commuters passes.
References
- ^ Official news release by JR Kyūshū, February 7, 2008. Template:Ja icon
- ^ “ICカード『めじろんnimoca』大分都市圏で12月26日よりサービス開始” by Nishitetsu Press Release, November 2, 2010.Template:Ja icon
External links
Mass transit in Fukuoka–Kitakyushu area | |
|---|---|
 Fukuoka City Subway lines | |
 JR Kyushu lines |
|
 Nishitetsu rail lines | |
| Other railways and cablecars | |
| Terminals |
|
| Ferry |
|
| Miscellaneous | |
