JR Central will introduce QR code payment using the “PayPay” app on the Nagano Prefecture section of the Iida Line as a demonstration experiment to make fare collection on conductorless trains smoother.
QR reading → Enter amount from fare table
The target is conductorless trains operating between Tenryukyo Station and Tatsuno Station, and QR code payment will be introduced on a trial basis from Friday, August 1, 2025 to Friday, October 31, 2025 to investigate the impact on passenger convenience, crew work, and train operation. The fare will be collected on board when disembarking at each station between Kawaji Station and Miyaki Station, excluding both ends, and passengers can pay with the PayPay app by declaring it to the driver. However, trains with a conductor on board will only accept cash payments as usual, and disembarking at Iida Station and Inashi Station, where station attendants are stationed, will not be eligible.
The payment method is a user scan method, where the QR code presented by the driver is read with the app, and the fare amount from the boarding station displayed on the fare display is entered into the app. After checking the screen, the driver taps the “Pay” button and presents the completion screen to complete the fare payment. Cash payments are also possible as before, and if QR payment is not possible due to communication problems, payment will be made in cash.
Sections where transportation IC cards are not supported
On trains with a conductor on the Iida Line, the conductor patrols the train while it is moving, collecting fares from passengers who board at intermediate stations and issuing in-car supplementary tickets. On conductorless trains where this is not possible, it is believed that the concentration of fare collection at certain stations is the cause of delays, and the key point is to what extent QR payment can contribute to shortening payment time. If the convenience of QR payment is evaluated by passengers in the demonstration, future measures such as whether to expand support to other conductorless trains or increase the ratio of conductorless trains will be of interest.
On the other hand, transportation IC cards can also be used as a means of fare payment, but the area where “TOICA” can be used on the Iida Line is limited to the Aichi Prefecture section between Toyohashi Station and Hon-nagashino Station, and it seems that there are high hurdles to expanding it. PayPay has a high penetration rate of over 70 million registered users, and its user-scanning method reduces capital investment at the time of implementation, so it has already been introduced to transportation companies such as the Nagaragawa Railway. JR Central, the issuer of TOICA, has not stuck to this and has instead reached for existing QR payments, highlighting the lack of versatility of transportation IC cards, which have been criticized for their high cost design.
