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 city ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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. It was founded in 1927, when the city took private ...

(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 ch ...

, 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 The is a tram network located in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau. The system is sometimes referred to by residents as simply the . The first section of the network opened in 1909 as the ; i ...

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 bu ...

, 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