- PiTaPa
nihongo|PiTaPa|ピタパ|Pitapa is a contactless
smart card ticketing andelectronic money system used in theKansai region (and may also be used in some areas ofOkayama Prefecture ,Hiroshima Prefecture , andShizuoka Prefecture ) ofJapan . The name "PiTaPa" is an acronym of "Postpay IC for Touch and Pay". [http://www.pitapa.com/faq/index1.html#kihon04]As of 2007 , the card can be used on 19 train systems and 11 buses, including theOsaka Municipal Subway and New Tram, theKeihan Electric Railway , and theHankyu Railway .ystem 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 'sSuica andJR West 'sICOCA 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 such, acredit check is required to obtain a PiTaPa card, and the allowable balance is capped. SinceJune 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 normalcredit card .Like Suica and ICOCA, the underlying technology behind PiTaPa is
Sony 'sFeliCa 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 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
as of 2006 .History
The concept to introduce a smart card fare system in the Kansai region was first announced in
July 7 ,2001 by the Surutto KANSAI Conference. The Conference initially announced inApril 2002 that they are planning to consign operation of the system toHitachi Ltd. and JCB, but switched to theJapan Research Institute andSumitomo Mitsui Card Company onJuly 2003 . The name "PiTaPa" was made public onFebruary 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 theICOCA system starting onJanuary 21 ,2006 (see JR section below).Companies and bureaus accepting PiTaPa
As of 2007 , the following parties take part in the PiTaPa network. The list is growing rapidly and subject to change.Railroads
JR
The
JR West has its ownICOCA 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.As of 2007 , PiTaPa cannot be used on theJR East 'sSuica system. 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]ee also
*
List of smart cards External links
* [http://www.pitapa.com/ PiTaPa.com] ja icon
* [http://www.surutto.com/about/profile.html Surutto KANSAI company profile] ja icon
* [http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4006.html Transportation in Osaka] , including information on the PiTaPa card en icon
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