This article organizes whether a free pass is transit-only or includes venues, how a shared MaaS app and a program-dedicated site divide roles, and the three models to line up in bid comparison. Read in this order: category (first table = product content) → two models (MaaS app vs dedicated web = where you sell) → three-row table (sales channels in quotes). Aligning top to bottom keeps later comparisons stable.
Recommended order: 1. Free-pass category (transit only vs transit+venues) → 2. MaaS app vs dedicated program web → 3. Three-row sales-channel table → 4. Grants and settlement reports → 5. Seven-item checklist then quotes. Below follows this order.
Free pass categories | Role in municipal tourism programs
Municipal and wide-area free passes feel like “one ticket to ride and enter” to visitors, but behind the scenes they split into these three categories.
Table scrolls horizontally
| Category | Content | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Transit free pass | Unlimited rides in a defined bus/rail area for one day | Digital version of Kanazawa city one-day free ride ticket (Ishikawa / Kanazawa) |
| Transit + venues | Ride ticket bundled with venue discounts or coupons | Same-day discount at tourism venues when showing the ride ticket (e.g. 27 venues in Kanazawa) |
| Wide-area tourism pass | One product combining multiple modes, island transport, and venues | Hachijojima (Tokyo) island tourism — demand transit + hot springs + venues as a set |
Before quoting digital rollout, decide which category is in scope this fiscal year. Starting with transit-only free pass in an app and adding venue bundles next year vs selling transit + venues on one web purchase screen from year one changes which sales platform you choose.
Shared MaaS app vs program-dedicated site | Two models
At ride or entry time, you agree with operators on entry check patterns—show the purchased screen, scan a QR at a stop terminal, tap transit IC, etc. This section compares where you sell the free pass before that step.
Municipal digital transit services (e.g. Kanazawa “Norimasshi Kanazawa,” consortium-run web/native app) and branded tourism program-dedicated sites (web purchase plus purchased-ticket list)—both appear in live free pass sales.
A shared MaaS app can put route search, timetables, everyday citizen tickets, and tourism free passes in one entry; operator-participation models often start from route registration. Entry check follows the chosen pattern: screen display, terminal read, or IC.
A program-dedicated site lets DMOs and wide-area councils hold sales desk, refunds, and visitor guidance; design bus + rail + venues and multi-operator settlement on one URL; and switch ticket faces and languages per tourism campaign. You are less bound by existing MaaS app change scope, but launch usually means dedicated build or a program-dedicated ticket service quote in the comparison table.
Neither model is inherently “higher” or “lower”—fit shifts with sales entity, ticket types, settlement, and existing app participation.
Three-model comparison | Sales channel and free pass fit
In bid comparison, line up these three rows and map each to the free pass categories from the prior section.
Table scrolls horizontally
| Sales / usage model | Free passes it fits | When ticket types and settlement grow |
|---|---|---|
| Wide-area MaaS app (transfer guide · regional mode) | Wide-area / island tourism passes from search to purchase in one app (Hachijojima type) | Extra coordination with the app operator on out-of-area operator settlement rules |
| Municipal transit MaaS app (citizen + tourism digital ride tickets) | Transit-centric digital city day passes (Norimasshi Kanazawa type) | App ticket-type settings swell when venue bundles and multi-ride tickets increase |
| Tourism program-dedicated site (web sales + purchased list) | Free passes needing transit + venues, multi-company splits, and multilingual design per program | Split sales desks so you do not double-sell against existing MaaS |
Wide-area MaaS app fits island tourism that bundles reservation-based demand bus and venue entry on one digital ticket inside a transfer app visitors already use. Municipal transit MaaS app centers on replacing paper day tickets with digital tickets and crew validation on alighting. Tourism program-dedicated site is often chosen when the municipality or DMO holds sales and settlement report formats and operators only handle entry check roles.
| Table label | Published example (model image) |
|---|---|
| Norimasshi Kanazawa type | Kanazawa City “Norimasshi Kanazawa” — consortium web/app selling city one-day free ride tickets, etc. (city guidance) |
| Hachijojima type | Hachijo Town — smart mobility pilot — tourism digital tickets via transfer app (project press release). Time-limited pilot, not a nationwide permanent product |
A seven-item checklist (adding ticket types · unified operations · multilingual · multi-operator settlement · conditional distribution · existing MaaS change cost · audit logs) reduces gaps when paired with model selection below. Item explanations and tables are in Related reading: “Ticket platform vs dedicated site.”
Grants and settlement | Report items for municipal free passes
Municipal free passes often run on tourism promotion, transit DX, or pilot grants; even with digital sales, auditors focus on “what changed from paper.”
| Topic | Confirm |
|---|---|
| Sales results | CSV granularity: sales by ticket type, unused tickets, refund counts |
| Usage logs | Board/alight and entry record format (screen display only vs terminal read · transit IC, etc.) |
| Operator allocation | Split rules for bus · rail · venues and cutoff dates |
| Dual-operation period | End conditions for parallel paper free passes and inquiry desk |
Sales via shared MaaS app often follow the app operator’s report format. On a program-dedicated site, fix wide-area settlement report columns (operator code · ticket type ID) at RFP or grant application stage. National tourism and transit grants often ask for numeric “paper to digital” impact—stating sales channels (counter · web · app) before and after migration cuts rework. Aligning multi-company allocation columns with tourism pass settlement design shortens meetings.
See features and rollout examples on the service site.
FAQ
Q1. Digitizing only a city one-day free ride ticket—which model do we compare first?
Often municipal transit MaaS app (transit operators and municipal consortium) selling digital tickets in the same scope as paper. If venue discounts ship at the same time, include tourism program-dedicated site in quotes and cross-check with the seven-item table.
Q2. How does a transfer app regional mode differ from a municipal app?
Wide-area MaaS app targets wide area and islands wanting transfer and regional tourism in one app. Municipal transit MaaS app focuses on that city’s bus/rail digital tickets and resident use. Neither is “better” for a standalone free pass—choose by sales entity and participating operators.
Q3. If we launch a dedicated site, won’t it duplicate the MaaS app?
Set parallel period and role split for which ticket types sell where. Transit-only on MaaS app and campaign-only bundles on the dedicated site is a common split.
Q4. What logs do grant applications need?
Fix submission format for sales reports and usage counts (board/alight and entry when possible) to match the RFP forms before digital rollout. Screen-display-only periods are count-centric; after adding terminal reads, note stop and venue IDs in quote memos.
Summary
1. Fix this year’s free-pass category on one memo. 2. Fill the three-model table (purchase surface, desk, allocation). 3. Run the seven-item checklist. 4. Add grant/settlement report formats to the RFP. 5. Quote each candidate model for the next operator meeting.
Related service
SmartPlate Ticket
For tourism free passes that sell transit + venues on one web flow and need the municipality or wide-area council to design settlement and ticket additions together, one option to line up in quotes is SmartPlate Ticket as a tourism program-dedicated site. After splitting roles with shared MaaS app (which ticket types sell where) using the prior table, see overview on the SmartPlate Ticket service site and service materials (free).
