JCB to Provide Public Transport Postpay Service for MLIT Project in Sapporo

JCB to Provide Public Transport Postpay Service for MLIT Project in Sapporo

Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2003–(JCN Newswire)–JCB Co., Ltd. has developed a postpayment settlement scheme for transport fares in Japan, and has begun to provide payment services for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport sponsored trial project in Sapporo City from January through March 2003.

Approximately 1,000 trial participants will use a contactless smart card to ride the Sapporo City subway system in Japan’s first implementation of postpayment of public transport fares. The JCB payment service will settle accumulated charges for each month either via JCB credit card payment or a debit of the user’s designated bank account. JCB is providing credit scoring and payment settlement services for the project, and the cards are being issued by Sapporo Information Network Co., Ltd.

There are currently many types of prepaid card used for transportation fares in Japan, such as JR’s Suica card. Both prepaid cards and the new postpayment scheme allow consumers to avoid having to buy a ticket each time they ride, however postpayment will also allow consumers to receive an appropriate discount on their monthly charges based on factors such as frequency or time of day of travel. Public transport operators can offer this attractive service to users at a significantly lower cost by benefiting from JCB’s forty years of expertise in credit scoring and payment services as well as its network infrastructure.

About JCB Co. Ltd.

JCB is an international credit card brand and the largest card issuer/acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding overseas in 1981. Its merchant network includes 10.43 million merchants and spans 189 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 18 countries and territories, with 42 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with more than 320 leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. JCB’s corporate philosophy of “Service from the heart”, a commitment to responsive, high-quality service, continues to guide it as it creates the future together with its customers, merchants and partners. For further information, please visit the JCB Co. Ltd. home page at: http://www.jcbinternational.com.