is a contactless
smart card ticketing and
electronic money system used in the
Kansai region (and may also be used in some areas of
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the nor ...
,
Hiroshima Prefecture, and
Shizuoka Prefecture) of
Japan. The name ''PiTaPa'' is an acronym of "Postpay
IC for Touch and Pay". , the card can be used on 19 train systems and 11 buses, including the
Osaka Municipal Subway and
New Tram, the
Keihan Electric Railway, and the
Hankyu Railway.
System 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's
Suica
is a prepaid rechargeable contactless smart card, electronic money used as a fare card on train lines in Japan, launched on November 18, 2001. The card can be used interchangeably with JR West's ICOCA in the Kansai region and San'yō region i ...
and
JR West's
ICOCA 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 in a
charge card. As such, a
credit check is required to obtain a PiTaPa card, and the allowable balance is capped. Since June 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 normal
credit card.
Like Suica and ICOCA, the underlying technology behind PiTaPa is