Pasmo: a Tokyo
experience
Last year I had witnessed and experienced many exciting things in Tokyo, like the increased policing of smoking on sidewalks and public streets, the rising popularity of jewelry earphones, to simply trying out Sapporo's bizarre Yebisu Beer Jelly. But my top 2008 experience was the purchasing of a Pasmo - Tokyo's Smart Card for Public Transportation.
When I compare my 2007 transportation experience to when I was traveling in Japan before the Pasmo's introduction, the differences are vast. For me, riding the Tokyo subway line 2 years ago was annoying and difficult.
Back then I would have to wiggle may way through a crowd of people who were all sharing the task of decoding the location map. After calculating the cost of a single ride from point A to point B, I would then have to line up, in a mega line to buy the ticket worth the correct value and sadly receive my change in a pile of coins from the vender. Finally after riding in the packed train, the little flimsy ticket would get crunched in my pocket which then caused a major traffic jam when exiting the station, as I'd have trouble sliding the mangled piece of paper into the machine at the gates. And I wasn't alone.
Almost everybody was having the same experience as me. A few businessmen began using their "cell phones", but that system never really took off as it was an extra cost and it created another sad sight to see on your bill at the end of the month. People that rode the JR lines used the Suica card, but when they transferred onto local subway lines or buses they unfortunately had to endure the same task.
When it comes to branding, Pasmo's pink and silver roller skating
robot character is the complete opposite of Suica's cold penguin icon.
A penguin is slow. Even without the wheels, pink and silver simply
feels a lot faster then black and white. A few subway gates were also
converted and covered
completely pink. When I first saw this I didn't
know if I could go through them, as they might be exclusively for
Pasmo cardholders. That's the day I bought my Pasmo.
The Pasmo has made Tokyo traveling easy. With this card you can swipe
in and swipe out of any station in the region - local subway lines, JR
lines and even buses. There are no more crowds in front of the station
maps, as you don't need to know the A to B cost. Commuters can load as
little as 1000 Yen and avoid lining up and purchasing fairs for the
next couple of days depending on their traveling distances.
Therefore, I now just swipe in and follow the signs. The company your working for can also upload the card with digital money, which acts as a monthly pass when swiping between the gates from home and work. In short, the people are now flying out of the exits.
The card reader is so strong you don't even need to take it out of your wallet or jacket. As long as it's gently hovered over the reader the gate will open.
When
exiting the station a monitor informs you of how much is left on your
card. On busy days, when traffic is at full speed and it's next to
impossible to read the information, you are warned with a yellow flash
that the card is almost empty. If you forget to fill up, the next time
you exit the monitor will turn red, flash a black X, make a load
noise, slap the gates closed and people will crash into you.
Interestingly, with the embarrassment that causes everybody keeps
their cards relatively full. Or maybe it's because you can also use it
to purchase items like food and beverages out of several vending
machines and shops in and around the stations.
In addition, the Pasmo now offers a child tracking service. When a child swipes in a station or at a school entrance the parent will receive an electronic message on their phone letting them now where they are.
Overall, I feel the Pasmo has defiantly cranked up Tokyo's human traffic flow by making it easier and faster to get around the city. No wonder this silver n' pink card is in everybody's wallet. I'm definitely glad it's in mine.
Mark Vandervoet
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