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Example of boarding on public transport with Visa Touch payment (Kyoto Tango Railway)
Transport IC cards like Suica are commonly used in public transport in urban areas, but due to issues such as introduction costs in rural areas, it is not easy to use them in every corner of the country …
While the national policy is to support cashless payments, isn’t it possible to get on trains and buses more seamlessly with the credit and debit cards I use all the time? I am trying to solve that problem. However, it is Visa Japan Worldwide (Visa).
Use scene of “Visa touch payment” gradually spreading through public transport
Kazunari Imada, Director of Digital Solutions, Visa Worldwide Japan (Visa)
Visa had already made an NFC method contactless payment service (ISO14443 Type A, Type B) for member stores in general under the name “Visa Touch Payment”, but the Tokyo Olympics will be held in 2020. Oriented to the year, we have been working on the realization of contactless payment services in public transport.
The service became available on Japan’s public transport on July 29, 2020, on the Ibaraki Kotsu express bus. After that, it was introduced by local bus companies in quick succession, with Iwate Prefecture North Bus on September 28 and Fukushima Transportation / Aizu Bus on October 28. In addition, on November 25, the Kyoto Tango Railway introduced a combination of solutions that support distance fares, and the usage scene is gradually expanding.
Last year, it was adopted for a demonstration experiment of an unlimited ride ticket in the Fukuoka municipal subway, but due to the spread of the infection with the new coronavirus, the implementation has been postponed and preparations are underway for its implementation. again, and this spring Nankai Railway will conduct a demo experiment making the gateway compatible with Visa touch payment.
Kazunari Imada, director of digital solutions at the company, said: “In Japan, where transport IC cards are initially widespread, there is a question whether there really is a need for public transport (for Visa touch payment). Look at behind.
According to him, while talking to various companies, it was found that local companies, where transport IC cards are not very widespread, have individual problems. Also, while speaking to foreign tourists, Visa touch payments supplemented transportation IC cards and found a role in accelerating the shift to cashless public transportation.
Certainly, the merit of the service you can get on the train or bus as it is with the credit card that you usually use is great for tourists who don’t know what to do, especially for foreign tourists who have language barriers. By removing barriers to movement and expanding the scope of activities, increased tourist mobility should lead to the promotion of the tourism industry as a whole.
Leading international tourist city abroad
In fact, touch payments are already being introduced in large tourist cities abroad.
The easiest to understand is London, which was introduced by tube and bus since the 2012 Olympics. First, London’s public transport system has already introduced a contactless IC card called the “Oyster Card”, but it is also supports Visa touch payment. While it was possible for companies to reduce the cost of ticket vending machines, it does not require pre-charging and can be used in smartphones and smartwatches, providing great convenience to tourists and other users.
Additionally, touch payments are now available on public transportation in Singapore and New York. Compared to Japan, the ticket vending machines and ticketing gates used in these cities often faced mechanical problems, such as not reading tickets and magnetic cards, no matter how many times they tried. By supporting touch payments, it was possible to eliminate the risk of sliding errors at the entrance doors and to omit the use of ticket vending machines, which proved beneficial for both companies and users.
In addition to public transportation, there is an environment where you can spend time just telling the employee “with Visa” and tapping the leader, including meals and shopping in town. One of the attractions is that payments can be completed quickly and intelligently without the need to enter a signature or PIN code up to a certain amount.
By the way, you can check if your credit card supports such touch payment by checking if there is a touch payment support mark on the face of the card. In other words, placing this mark will increase the possibility of smart road travel. If your card is not compatible, complete procedures such as changing to a compatible card before traveling.
Can be used if there is a touch payment compatible mark surrounded by a red circle on the front of the ticket
Touch payment in every situation
Even in Japan, in stores like Aeon and McDonald’s, if you say “with Visa”, you can use Visa touch payment … It should be like that, but maybe the employee’s education is not catching up, sometimes ask me to insert it into a card reader.
For this reason, Visa recommends that large merchants use magnetic, contact, and contactless “three-sided hold” as their basic operation. If you choose to pay by credit card, all swipe, push, and touch interfaces will be in standby mode, and the method will be left to the user.
However, it is necessary to separate the operation of the FeliCa-based touch payment system, which has been widely used before, and the QR code-based payment system, which has been growing rapidly in recent years. It will take a little longer to automatically recognize and process everything as adjustments need to be made across industry barriers.
Another problem is how to treat minors. Prepaid cards that support Visa touch payments are also available, so it won’t be a problem in general stores. However, this is difficult to deal with in public transport where child fares are set, and it is not supported in Japan at this time. Regarding this point, it is possible to configure it and enter it in the system once the process and the operation have been organized.
Although there are still problems for further dissemination, Mr. Imada said: “By applying the front door, it can be introduced in cinemas and zoos, etc., and in the next phase as an initiative that will lead to MaaS, including discounts I would like to take up the challenge. We will be talking not only about Visa, but also about the entire industry, such as the Smart Wallet Association. “I hope that cards with brands that support touch payments will be used in a variety of situations.
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