was a rechargeable contactless

smart card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

ticketing system for

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

in Hiroshima Prefecture,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Its name is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of ''pass'', ''happy'', and ''speedy''. Like other electronic fare collection systems in Japan, the card used an

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...

technology developed by

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

known as FeliCa, but was the first card to employ an 8 KB capacity instead of the standard 4, owing to the need for more capacity to interoperate with the Hiroshima bus system. PASPY IC card service ended in March 2025 and was replaced with MOBIRY DAYS and ICOCA.

History

The system was conceived as an alternative to the magnetic fare system in place since 1994, which by 2008 was already beginning to show signs of wear; machines were needing to be replaced and customers preferred IC cards over magnetic fare cards. The PASPY card launched with eight issuing companies, each with their own uniquely colored card, on January 26, 2008. On March 1, 2008, the PASPY system also began accepting JR West's ICOCA card (without allowing reciprocal use of PASPY at ICOCA terminals). This was seen as an expedient way to avoid having to obtain agreement from the entire ICOCA service area to have local campaigns and promotional discounts to entice Hiroshima residents to use the PASPY card, while still allowing for travelers from outside the area to use the more widely accepted ICOCA card and visit Hiroshima without having to purchase a PASPY. Subsequently on March 17, 2018, Nationwide Mutual Usage IC cards became accepted for usage the PASPY area. The Kure City Transportation Bureau version of PASPY ceased to be sold on April 1, 2012. The Bihoku Kōtsū version ceased sales on September 30, 2014, while Geiyō Bus suspended sales the following day.

Hiroshima Rapid Transit is a transportation company based in Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima Rapid Transit operate a rapid transit line called the Astram Line in Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1 ...

ceased sales of PASPY on May 31, 2024, and will stop accepting usage of the cards on the

Astram Line , also known as the , is a manually driven Rubber-tyred metro, rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects centra ...

on November 30, 2024. After this date, only six color varieties of new PASPY cards were sold. PASPY service was fully discontinued on March 29, 2025. Refunds will remain available until March 31, 2027.

Operators accepting PASPY

Those with a color in the "Card color" column issue their own version of the cards, while others just accept them. PASPYご利用エリア, from the PASPY official site. Note that the list shown here in this article is not exhaustive, and does not list every company that accepts PASPY.

References

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External links

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Official website
{{Authority control Fare collection systems in Japan Contactless smart cards