JR Bus Chugoku, Hiroshima Kotsu, and Hiroshima Bus will introduce the ICOCA system as IC card tickets on March 30, 2025. In conjunction with this, each company will begin handling ICOCA at their ticket counters and in their buses, and plans to sell tickets in advance of the introduction of the system.
ICOCA has been available in the form of reciprocal use with PASPY, but with the introduction of the system, ICOCA will begin handling bus commuter passes (JR Bus Chugoku only for routes within Hiroshima Prefecture). The commuter pass information is not printed on the face of the pass, and can be loaded on the same card as JR and Astram Line commuter passes. The company also offers a “Web commuter pass system,” which allows customers to purchase and load commuter pass information onto an existing issued card via its website, as well as cards with discounts for the disabled.
With the introduction of the ICOCA system, Hiroshima Kotsu will discontinue issuing one-way commuter passes and commuter passes for commuting to work, and paper commuter passes will no longer be issued except for some routes. Hiroshima Bus will also change its commuter passes from a section type to a value type, allowing passengers to use the pass regardless of the section, as long as the value of the pass is within the amount determined at the time of issuance.
The transfer discount applied to transfers between bus routes of each company and the fixed-rate discount of up to 10% off when riding with the card will continue to be offered with ICOCA. In addition, JR Bus Chugoku offers 5% of the SF balance used for fares in excess of 3,000 yen per month as WESTER points (for recharging only).
IC cards compatible with nationwide inter-use, such as Suica and PASMO, can continue to be used, but the above discount and point services apply only to ICOCA.
© Source travel watch
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