How to ride Kagoshima City Tram (Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau) P
Operator-wide facts from Kagoshima City Tram (Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau)'s own pages; individual lines and stations can differ.
IC cards (Suica etc.)Some cards or areas Pラピカ (Rapica)
Credit card touchAccepted PVisa, Mastercard etc. contactless
Where you payOn board P
Change on boardChange machine P
Delays & suspensionsLive status →Shown on the top page for trams and buses; Japanese only
Step-free accessStation list →PFour tram stops meet the national barrier-free standard (paths at least 150 cm wide, tactile blocks): Kagoshima-Chuo-ekimae, Shiritsu-byoin-mae, Junshin-gakuen-mae and Kagoshima-ekimae; wheelchair access at other stops is listed separately. Most city buses carry a ramp at the middle door and the driver helps you board.
IC cards and payment in detail
Only the local IC card Rapica (and Rapica commuter passes) works: touch the reader at the entrance when you board and the reader on top of the fare box when you get off. Nationwide transport IC cards (Suica, SUGOCA etc.) cannot be used on the trams or city buses. Rapica is sold and can be topped up on board (¥1,000 notes, up to ¥3,000 at a time). Contactless credit cards are accepted on all trams; the operator's step-by-step touch guide is written for buses (touch on boarding and alighting, on a reader separate from the Rapica one), so follow the signs on the tram. Rapica and credit-card users need no transfer ticket at Takamibaba and Kōrimoto. P
Board through the entrance, the middle door. The fare is paid when you get off.
Rapica card: touch the card reader at the entrance (no numbered ticket needed; touch while the door is open).
Cash, one-day ticket or other passes: just board.
Getting off
When your stop is announced, press the nearest stop button (降車ボタン). Stay seated until the tram has stopped and the exit door is open.
Cash: the fare is flat (adult ¥200, child ¥100). Put the exact fare into the fare box so the crew can see it. No change is given: use the changer on board first (¥1,000 notes and ¥500, ¥100 and ¥50 coins only).
Rapica card: touch the reader on top of the fare box at the exit.
One-day ticket or other passes: show it clearly to the crew as you get off.
Changing trams at Takamibaba or Kōrimoto with cash: ask the driver for a transfer ticket (乗換券), valid for an onward ride within one hour.
Wheelchair assistance
Four tram stops meet the national barrier-free standard (Kagoshima-Chūō-ekimae, Shiritsu-byōin-mae, Junshin-gakuen-mae, Kagoshima-ekimae); the operator lists wheelchair access for other stops separately. Disability discount: show your certificate to the driver and pay half fare. Tram inquiries: Tram Operations Division (電車事業課). Tel. 099-257-2116
Day passes, regional passes and special tickets that include Kagoshima City Tram, cheapest first. Prices and rules change: check the official page before you buy.
Anyone can buyUntil 13 Dec 20261 day · Unlimited rides
鹿児島ユナイテッドFCホームゲーム限定市電１日乗車券 · Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau
¥280 Adult · ¥140 Child
One Kagoshima United FC home-game day that you choose (2026 season: 17, 21 and 31 Oct, 15 and 29 Nov, 13 Dec still to come), first to last tram. The ticket expires 3 months after purchase and at the latest on the season's last home game.
Not on sale now. Sold anew for each J.League season; a ticket cannot be used in the next season
Anyone can buyOn sale from 1 Dec 20261 day · Unlimited rides
¥14,000 Paper ticket (3 day-uses) · ¥13,000 my route digital version (3 day-uses)
Three one-day uses (one person 3 times, or up to 3 people on the same trip). Paper: within 3 months of purchase. my route: start within 7 days of purchase, use within 90 days; each day-use is valid until 2:00 the next morning.