Kumamoto buses, trams and local trains are half price from 29 Oct 2026, tap a card or phone only
This week's news · Checked 2026-10-28
What happened. Seven Kumamoto transport operators (Kyushu Sanko Bus, Sanko Bus, Kumamoto Electric Railway, Kumamoto Bus, Kumamoto Toshi Bus, the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau and Minamiaso Railway), with Sumitomo Mitsui Card, JCB, JTB and SMBC, announced the "Kumamoto Ouen Project" on 14 Oct 2026. From Thursday 29 Oct 2026, fares on buses fitted with tap readers, the Kumamoto tram, Kumamoto Electric Railway and Minamiaso Railway are 50% off when you pay by tapping a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover or UnionPay card (credit, debit or prepaid), or a phone or watch. No registration: tap when you get on and when you get off. There is no end date; it stops when the budget runs out, and the bus companies will post the date on their sites.
Example fares from the release (normal → during the campaign):
- Kumamoto Station (Kumamoto-ekimae) → Toricho-suji, bus or tram: ¥200 → ¥100
- Hinokuni bus, Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (Kumamoto) → Tenjin Bus Terminal (Fukuoka): ¥2,500 → ¥1,250. Hinokuni's usual "4th tap at half price" card discount is paused; every trip is half price from the first one.
- Sakuramachi → Tsujunkyo-mae: ¥1,480 → ¥740
Not included: the Kumamoto Airport limousine bus, the bus to Aso-sanjo, the Kyushu Odan (cross-Kyushu) Bus, the Takamori bus, Yamabiko (Kumamoto–Oita) and Takachiho. The reader shows the full fare, but you are charged the half fare. JR Kyushu trains are not among the operators.
What it means for you.
- Fukuoka to Kumamoto in December (Malaysia Airlines KL–Fukuoka goes daily from 1 Dec): the Hinokuni bus from Tenjin to Kumamoto is ¥1,250 one way with a card tap, while the budget lasts. In Kumamoto city, the tram and buses to Kumamoto Castle are half price too.
- Flying into Kumamoto Airport or heading to Aso: the airport limousine, the Aso-sanjo bus and the Kyushu Odan Bus stay at full fare. Minamiaso Railway is included. Crater-area status is in our Aso crater news; to get around Aso freely, the rental-car maths is in car rental #2.
- Bring a card with the contactless symbol. Paying cash means the full fare. The release says nothing about child fares or whether one card can pay for several people; ask the driver before boarding. The campaign can end whenever the budget runs out, so don't budget your trip at half price.
- Fukuoka hotels for the school-holiday dates, as a base before Kumamoto: Trip.com: Fukuoka hotels 7–11 Dec, 2 adults + 2 children (prices vary by date).
Affiliate links may be used; your price doesn't change. Source: joint press release "Kumamoto Ouen Project", 14 Oct 2026 (Japanese), smbc.co.jp. Checked 28 Oct 2026.