SUGOCA

nihongo|SUGOCA|スゴカ|Sugoka is a Japanese rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Fukuoka Prefecture and the surrounding areas. Kyūshū Railway Company (JR Kyūshū) will introduce the system from spring 2009. The name is an acronym of "Smart Urban GOing CArd", while nihongo|"sugoka"|凄か in the Kyūshū dialect means "great". Like other electronic fare collection systems in Japan, the card uses RFID technology developed by Sony Corporation, known as FeliCa. American graphic artist Rodney Greenblat designed its official mascot, a frog with a clock.

Usable area

SUGOCA will be introduced from spring 2009 in 144 stations of Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū area, mainly in Fukuoka Prefecture.
*Chikuhi Line: Meinohama — Karatsu
**"Introduction time unknown."
*Chikuhō Main Line: (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line, Wakamatsu Line): Wakamatsu — Orio — Keisen
*Kagoshima Main Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line): Mojikō — Arao
*Karatsu Line: Karatsu — Nishi-Karatsu
**"Introduction time unknown."
*Kashii Line (Umi-no-Nakamichi Line): Saitozaki — Umi
*Nagasaki Main Line: Tosu — Saga
*Nippō Main Line: Nishi-Kokura — Nakatsu
*Sasaguri Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line): Keisen — Yoshizuka

Future integrations

There are two other systems in Fukuoka. One is nimoca, a system introduced by Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu) from May 18, 2008. Another is Hayakaken, a future system to be introduced by Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau from spring 2009. The three cards in Fukuoka and Suica, a card already used in Greater Tokyo Area by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), will have integrated services from spring 2010. [ [http://www13.jrkyushu.co.jp/newsreleaseweb.nsf/9dd28b8cb8f46cee49256a7d0030d2e6/f5aec5c02debd8c1492573e80057f617?OpenDocument Official news release] by JR Kyūshū, February 7, 2008.]

ee also

*ICOCA (JR West: Kansai-area "Urban Network" and Hiroshima-Okayama metropolitan area)
*Suica (JR East: Kantō area)
*TOICA (JR Central: Nagoya metropolitan area)

References

External links

* [http://www13.jrkyushu.co.jp/newsreleaseweb.nsf/9dd28b8cb8f46cee49256a7d0030d2e6/4911c0325b15fb48492573830057eb7a?OpenDocument Official press release by JR Kyūshū]