JR East to introduce new contactless ticket gate system
On December 10, 2024, JR East announced plans to introduce a new ticket gate system that will allow passengers to board trains without holding their smartphones over the ticket gates, using the electronic money app "Suica".
JR East, a major Japanese railway company, has announced plans to introduce a new ticket gate system over the next 10 years. This will allow passengers to board trains without holding their smartphones or cards over the ticket gates.
Suica is a prepaid electronic money that is widely used in Japan and is used for a wide range of purposes, from paying fares for trains, buses, and taxis to shopping at convenience stores and vending machines.
The new system will use location data from the app to identify where passengers boarded the train. However, it has not yet been decided how fares will be collected.
Currently, users must hold their smartphones over the ticket gates. If they are not using the app, they must hold their Suica IC card over the ticket gates' sensors.
"We will make the Suica app a basic platform in our customers' lives. This will be the foundation of our growth strategy," JR East President Yoichi Kise said in a press release.
Japan's railway industry faces a tough business environment. Passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels, and many people continue to work remotely, meaning they have no need to use trains. Japan's declining population is also a serious problem.
On December 6, 2024, JR East announced that it plans to increase fares by an average of 7.1% from March 2026. This will be the first overall fare increase since the company was founded in 1987.
JR East is looking to provide a more comfortable and convenient riding experience by introducing a new contactless ticket gate system. The introduction of this system will be one solution to the challenges facing the railway industry.
