Kotoden will abolish ticket vending machines except at major stations. First introduction of "digital ticket vending machine" for smartphone payments in Japan

Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway (Takamatsu City), which operates three lines in Kagawa Prefecture, announced on August 19 that it will abolish automatic ticket vending machines (physical ticket vending machines) at all but some major stations. We will introduce the service of LESSIP (Motosu City, Gifu Prefecture) and transform it into a ``digital ticket'' that can be purchased on a smartphone.

From September 1st, we will be operating a ``Kotoden Digital Ticket Vending Machine'' using LESSIP's web app-based mobile ticket system ``QUICK TRIP Ticket.'' It is said to be the first local railway in Japan to eliminate ticket vending machines at unmanned stations and switch to online ticketing, which does not require a dedicated app (as of July, according to research by both companies).

Digital tickets are not just web tickets, but are characterized by digitally reproducing the same role as traditional ticket vending machines and tickets. By scanning the QR code placed at the station with a smartphone, users can access the purchase screen on the spot and make payments and issuance on their browser.

There is no need to download a special app, so tourists visiting for the first time can purchase it immediately, and there is also a function to keep you logged in, so local residents who use it on a daily basis do not need to log in again from the second time onwards.

QR codes are prepared exclusively for each station, and tickets can only be purchased for ``departing from that station'' when accessed via the QR codes, thereby preventing erroneous purchases and unauthorized use. When boarding the train, the train uses the same ``show ticket'' method as traditional paper tickets, in which the ticket screen on your smartphone is presented to the flight attendant or attendant.

The reason for its introduction is that local railways are burdened with the cost of updating and maintaining aging ticket vending machines. Both companies say that by eliminating ticket vending machines and reducing operating costs, they will maintain the railway as a regional transportation infrastructure. Information for people without smartphones and people with disabilities is posted on the official Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway website.