is a rechargeable contactless

smart card A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...

ticketing system for public transport in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous ci ...

, Japan.

Sapporo City Transportation Bureau Sapporo City Transportation Bureau (札幌市交通局, ''Sapporo-shi Kōtsū-kyoku'') is a public organization of transportation in Sapporo, Japan. The organization operates subways and a tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in N ...

(SCTB) introduced the system from January 30, 2009. The name of the card means "Sapporo's IC card". is also the sound symbolic word for quickly pulling a card out and is the sound equivalent to "beep". The card is issued by , the third sector (half public) company of Sapporo City Government. The integrated service with

Kitaca is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Sapporo, Japan. Hokkaidō Railway Company (JR Hokkaidō) introduced the system from October 25 2008. Its name means "the card of ", while 北 is also the first c ...

, a smart card system by JR Hokkaidō, was initially considered, but they decided to introduce the different systems because of the technical and financial difficulties. The two operators initially hoped to start an integrated service, but as of February 2020 Sapica still can not be used on JR services. While using the same FeliCa chip as Suica and Kitaca, SCTB intentionally uses a different system code and encryption key to break compatibility to avoid JR East licensing fees. From 2001 to 2004,

Sapporo Municipal Subway The is a mostly-underground rubber-tyred rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, it is the only subway system on the island of Hokkaido. Lines The system consists of three lines: ...

experimented a different smart card called .

Usable area

As of its introduction on January 30, 2009, the card is usable on Sapporo Municipal Subway Lines, as well as on the Sapporo Streetcar,

Hokkaido Chuo Bus The is a Japanese bus company operating local and long-distance buses in Hokkaido prefecture, Japan. The company operates routes connecting cities within Hokkaido, as well as local city and chartered bus services. Overview Besides providing b ...

, JR Hokkaido Bus and Jotetsu Buses. SAPICA can also be used as a

payment card Payment cards are part of a payment system issued by financial institutions, such as a bank, to a customer that enables its owner (the cardholder) to access the funds in the customer's designated bank accounts, or through a credit account and ma ...

at participating stores and vending machines.

Types of cards

*Unregistered SAPICA: For adults only. *Registered SAPICA: For adults and children. A card can be reissued when a user lost it. *SAPICA commuter's pass: For adults and children, with registrations.

References

External links

Official website

Official website

Sapporo Information Network Company
{{Hokkaidō transit Fare collection systems in Japan Sapporo Municipal Subway Contactless smart cards Smart cards introduced in 2009