PROFILBARU.COM

PASMO
Location	Usable nationwide; Distributed in the Greater Tokyo Area
Launched	March 18, 2007
Technology	FeliCa;
Manager	PASMO Co., Ltd.
Currency	Japanese yen (¥20,000 maximum load)
Stored-value	Pay as you go
Credit expiry	Ten years after last use
Retailed	Tokyo Metro stations; Toei Subway stations; Private railways;
Variants	PASMO; PASMO PASSPORT;
Website	www.pasmo.co.jp

Pasmo (Japanese: パスモ, romanized: Pasumo), stylized as PASMO, is a rechargeable contactless smart card electronic money system. It is primarily used for public transport in Tokyo, Japan, where it was introduced on 18 March 2007. Pasmo can also be used as a payment card for vending machines and stores. In 2013, Pasmo became usable in all major cities across Japan as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.^[3]

Pasmo is a development of the Passnet system used by many non-JR railway lines in the Greater Tokyo Area. The system offers interoperability with the JR East Suica system, as well as integrating private bus companies into the former Passnet network.

The technology is based on an RFID technology developed by Sony known as FeliCa. As of April 2009, there are over 11 million cards in circulation.^[4]

Companies and organizations accepting Pasmo

Railways

Most railway operators introduced the system simultaneously when Pasmo started.

Buses and tramways

Bus and tramway operators have been introducing Pasmo readers on their systems gradually.

Chiba Kotsu
Enoshima Electric Railway
- Enoden Bus
Fuji Kyuko
- Fuji Express
- Fujikyu City Bus
- Fujikyu Heiwa Kanko
- Fujikyu Shizuoka Bus
- Fujikyu Shonan Bus
- Fujikyu Yamanashi Bus
Funabashi Shin-Keisei Bus
- Matsudo Shin-Keisei Bus
- Narashino Shin-Keisei Bus
Hakone Tozan Bus
- Odakyu Hakone Highway Bus
Heiwa Kotsu
- Danchi Kotsu
Hitachi Jidosha Kotsu
Izu Hakone Railway
Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu
- Fujisawa Kanako Bus
- Sagami Kanako Bus
- Shonan Kanako Bus
- Tsukui Kanako Bus
- Yokohama Kanako Bus
Kanto Bus
- KB Bus
Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau (Kawasaki City Bus)
Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus
- Rinko Green Bus
Keihin Kyuko Bus
- Haneda Keikyu Bus
- Shonan Keikyu Bus
- Yokohama Keikyu Bus
Keio Bus
- Keio Bus Chūō
- Keio Bus Higashi
- Keio Bus Koganei
- Keio Bus Minami
- Keio Dentetsu Bus
Keisei Bus
- Chiba Chuo Bus
- Chiba City Bus
- Chiba Flower Bus
- Chiba Green Bus
- Chiba Kaihin Kotsu
- Chiba Nairiku Bus
- Chiba Rainbow Bus
- Ichikawa Kotsu Jidosha (Ichikawa Line Bus)
- Keisei Town Bus
- Keisei Transit Bus
- Tokyo Baycity Kotsu
Kokusai Kogyo Bus
Nishi Tokyo Bus
- Tama Bus
Odakyu Bus
- Odakyu City Bus
Sagami Railway (Sagami Railway Bus)
- Sotetsu Bus
Seibu Bus
- Seibu Jidosha
- Seibu Kanko Bus
Tachikawa Bus
- City Bus Tachikawa
Tobu Bus (Tobu Bus Central)
- Asahi Motor
- Ibakyu Motor
- Kawagoe Motor
- Kokusai Juo Kotsu
- Tobu Bus East
- Tobu Bus West
Tōkyū Setagaya Line)
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei Bus, Toei Streetcar)
Tokyu Bus
- Tokyu Transsés
Yamanashi Kotsu
- Sanko Town Coach
Yokohama City Transportation Bureau (Yokohama City Bus)
- Yokohama Traffic Development

Popularity

On April 11, 2007, it was announced that sales of Pasmo fare cards would be limited to commuter rail pass purchases until August due to extremely high demand. It was originally predicted that approximately 2 million Pasmo cards would be sold in the first month, but actual sales numbers totaled approximately about 3 million. Due to depleting stock, regular Pasmo card sales were suspended and only commuter passes were sold. Sales resumed on September 10, 2007.^[5]

Mobile devices

A version for mobile phones known as Mobile Pasmo (モバイルPASMO, Mobairu Pasumo), which uses Mobile FeliCa and Osaifu-Keitai functionality, was launched in March 2020.^[6]

Interoperation

Through collaboration with JR East, passengers became able to use Pasmo interchangeably with Suica to ride nearly any railway, metro, or bus in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2007. Transit systems/lines outside the Pasmo system but usable with the Pasmo card included JR East lines in the Kanto, Niigata and Sendai area, the Tokyo Monorail, Saitama New Urban Transit (New Shuttle), Sendai Airport Transit, Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (Rinkai Line), and JR Bus Kanto (local buses in the Mito area).

In 2013, interoperation was extended country-wide, and Pasmo became usable across Japan as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.^[7]

In July 22, 2014, Nintendo added support for Suica and Pasmo in the Nintendo eShop through the NFC function of the Wii U GamePad^[8] and the New Nintendo 3DS.^[9] The service was discontinued in January 18, 2022.^[10]

References

^ "Company Profile". PASMO. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
^ "Rules for Using PASMO". PASMO. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
^ Ito, Etsuro (October 2013). "Launch of Nationwide Interoperable Transport System IC Cards" (PDF). East Japan Railway Culture Foundation. Japan Railway & Transport Review. pp. 6–15. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
^ "Suica, Pasmoの合計発売枚数が" [The total number of Suica and PASMO sold] (PDF) (in Japanese). April 13, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 24, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ "Pasmo fare card selling out too fast". The Japan Times. April 12, 2007. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^ "モバイルPASMO". PASMO (in Japanese). Retrieved March 8, 2024.
^ Ito, Etsuro (October 2013). "Launch of Nationwide Interoperable Transport System IC Cards" (PDF). East Japan Railway Culture Foundation. Japan Railway & Transport Review. pp. 6–15. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
^ "交通系電子マネーを使ってWii Uのチャージに挑戦、手軽さが魅力的". インサイド (in Japanese). July 22, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
^ "Nintendo Shows Off NFC eShop Payments for New Nintendo 3DS in Japan". Nintendo Life. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
^ "ニンテンドー3DSシリーズおよびWii U内のニンテンドーeショップにおけるクレジットカードと交通系電子マネーのご利用取扱い終了について" [Regarding the termination of use of credit cards and transportation electronic money at the Nintendo 3DS series and the Nintendo eShop in Wii U]. nintendo.co.jp (in Japanese). July 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.