SUGOCA

SUGOCA (スゴカ, Sugoka) is a Japanese rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in and around Fukuoka Prefecture. The Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) introduced the system on March 1, 2009. The name is an acronym of "Smart Urban GOing CArd", while sugoka (凄か) in the local 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.

On March 13, 2010, SUGOCA began interoperation with Nishitetsu's nimoca, Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau's Hayakaken, and JR East's Suica.^[1] On March 5, 2011, in a reciprocal agreement with JR Central and JR West, SUGOCA became usable in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, Okayama-Hiroshima and Nagoya metropolitan areas.^[2] In 2013, interoperation was extended country-wide, and SUGOCA became usable in all major cities across Japan as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.^[3]

Usable area

SUGOCA was implemented on March 1, 2009, in 124 JR stations in Fukuoka Prefecture, mainly in the Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū area. As of 2022 it's usable in a total of 124 stations of below lines.

• Chikuhi Line: Meinohama to Karatsu
• Chikuhō Main Line: (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line, Wakamatsu Line): Wakamatsu to Keisen
• Hohi Main Line: Kumamoto to Higo-Ōzu, and Nakahanda to Ōita
  • de facto allow travelling between Higo-Ōzu and Naka-Handa if no alights of train on halfway stations
• Ibusuki Makurazaki Line: Kagoshima-Chūō to Kiire
• Kagoshima Main Line: Mojikō to Yatsushiro, and Sendai to Kagoshima (the currently whole line)
• Karatsu Line: Karatsu to Nishi-Karatsu
• Kashii Line (Umi-no-Nakamichi Line): the whole line
• Kyudai Main Line: Kurume to Zendōji, and Mukainoharu to Ōita
  • de facto allow travelling between Zendōji and Mukainoharu if no alights of train on halfway stations
• Miyazaki Kuko Line: the whole line
• Nagasaki Main Line: Tosu to Saga, and Isahaya to Nagasaki (includes Nagayo branch)
  • scheduled to implement supports for Saga to Kōhoku section by 2024^[4]
• Nichinan Line: Minami-Miyazaki to Tayoshi
• Nippō Main Line: Nishi-Kokura to Kōzaki, Sadowara to Tano, and Kokubu to Kagoshima (except for Ryūgamizu)
• Omura Line: Isahaya to Takematsu
  • scheduled to implement supports for Haiki to Huis Ten Bosch section by 2024^[4]
• Sanyō Main Line: Shimonoseki to Moji (the whole line of JR Kyushu operation)
• Sasaguri Line (Fukuhoku Yutaka Line): the whole line
• Sasebo Line (from 2024): the whole line^[4]

Types of cards

There are currently three types of cards available. The SUGOCA ticket (SUGOCA乗車券, SUGOCA jōshaken) is available as either an unregistered or registered card (allowing riders' cards to be reissued if lost). The second is the SUGOCA commuter pass (SUGOCA定期券, SUGOCA teikiken), which requires registration. The third is SUGOCA Excel Pass (SUGOCAエクセルパス, SUGOCA Ekuseru Pasu) which can be used for non-reserved seats of limited express trains.

Othe SUGOCA variants and designs exist, such as the Mono SUGOCA, functionally identical to the normal SUGOCA but featuring a design of the Kitakyushu Monorail's Kokura Station. It was issued starting October 1, 2015.^[5]

On January 23, 2020, JR Kyushu unveiled SUGOMON Pass, a SUGOCA variant designed for use by tourists to Japan. The card's design features Kumamon, the official mascot of Kumamoto. Unlike JR East's similar Welcome Suica for tourists, SUGOMON Pass has no expiry date and is refundable with a ¥220 handling fee.^[6]

Extended functionality

SUGOCA's functionality includes electronic money and can be used at stores in Fukuoka Prefecture and at vending machines and convenience stores nationwide.

Part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service, SUGOCA is usable on public transportation across Japan.^[3]

See also

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

References

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)