2015.08.25
Prefecture mulling expanding OKICA fare payment system
The Okinawa Prefectural Government is mulling the feasibility of expanding the IC-card based OKICA payment system to replace the current ticket system in ferries serving Okinawa’s remote islands, and for payment of taxi fares on those islands.
The Okinawa Urban Monorail, known as the Yui Rail, replaced the old paper tickets with the OKICA system in October last year, and the four local bus companies on the main island of Okinawa joined in last April. However, there is no public bus transportation on the remote islands and people have to rely on taxis instead.
The aim is to improve convenience for people who visit or live on the remote islands by expanding the service, as the same card could be used both on Okinawa’s main island and other areas.