is a rechargeable contactless smart card

Smart card

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...

 ticketing system for public transport in Kōchi Prefecture

Kochi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, introduced from 25 January 2009. The card is issued by the , founded by Tosa Electric Railway

Tosa Electric Railway

The is a transportation company in Kōchi City, Japan. The private company operates tram and bus lines. It also operates as the agency of All Nippon Airways in Kōchi Prefecture....

 (Tosaden) and Kōchiken Kōtsū. The name stands for the and accepted .

The card claims to work positive for the environment, as it would encourage using public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

, thus reducing carbon emission

Greenhouse gas

A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...

. A user is able to add its loyalty point

Loyalty program

Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward, and therefore encourage, loyal buying behavior — behavior which is potentially beneficial to the firm....

 by using the card, as well as by doing something "ecological", such as avoiding a disposable plastic bag at a store.

Usable area

The card is usable for the following operators' lines.

• Tosaden tram
  Tram
  A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
  
   and bus
  Bus
  A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
  
   lines bus lines bus lines bus lines bus lines, between Susaki and Suginokawa or Yusuhara

The card also functions as an electronic money

Electronic money

Electronic money is money or scrip that is only exchanged electronically. Typically, this involves the use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems...

.

Types of cards

• Corresponding different ages, the card is classified into the three different "colors":
  • Orange Card: For elementary school students, usable until April 1 of 12 years old.
  • Green Card: For 12 years old and older.
  • Purple Card: For 65 years old and older.
• Corresponding functions, the three cards are each classified into three, making the nine different cards in total:
  • Unregistered card
  • Registered card: Needs registration. The card can be reissued when lost.
  • Commuter pass: Needs registration.

External links

• Official website