Japanese Railway Line Implements Facial Recognition System for Ticket Sales

Japanese company Yamaman Co, operator of light rail and bus routes, has introduced a facial recognition system for ticket sales on the Yukarigaoka line and local buses, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Passengers can now use the so-called “Eucalyptus Pass” for quick and convenient access through turnstiles and fare payment.

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To use this system, passengers must register online by providing a passport-style photo and credit card information.

Cameras at the stations recognize their faces, open the barriers, and deduct a fixed fare of 200 yen from the credit card. A day pass for 500 yen is also available.

As a result of using this technology, traditional ticket machines, which previously issued magnetic tickets, will be modified to issue paper tickets with QR codes for rare and unregistered passengers.

The implementation of the facial recognition system on the railway followed a pilot scheme on bus routes, which began in 2021.

Technology providers J MaaS and Panasonic Connect hope to further spread this technology throughout Japan after evaluating its effectiveness on smaller networks.

The cost of implementing the system was about 60 million yen, with the project partially supported by a government subsidy.

It is expected that this system will reduce ticket issuance costs by 30%.

A unique feature of the transport operator Yamaman Co is the koala-themed design, related to the presence of eucalyptus trees in the area.

The implementation of facial recognition on transport has several advantages: speeding up and simplifying the ticket purchase and turnstile process, reducing the maintenance costs of ticketing systems, and enhancing passenger security.

In the future, this technology may become the standard for public transport in Japan, making travel even more convenient and safe for all passengers.

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