Setouchi Shimanami Leading, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, JCB, Lecip, and QUADRAC will launch a credit card contactless payment boarding service using the “stera transit” system on three Shimanami bus routes starting February 5.
The eligible routes are the Shimanami Liner Imabari–Fukuyama Line / Hiroshima Line, and the Kirara Express Matsuyama–Fukuyama / Shin-Onomichi Line, for a total of three routes. Passengers can board and alight simply by tapping a contactless-enabled card or a configured smartphone on the dedicated reader installed on the bus.
Supported brands are Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, and UnionPay.
This is the first such implementation by a public transportation operator in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. “STERA TRANSIT,” rolled out by Sumitomo Mitsui Card, had been announced for introduction to 191 operators across 43 prefectures as of the end of October 2025. With this implementation in Ehime Prefecture, a usage environment will now be in place across 44 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
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