Fukuoka transport passes: Subway, Nishitetsu and SUNQ Pass

Fukuoka offers several transport passes: a subway one-day ticket, a Nishitetsu bus one-day pass, a combined Nishitetsu train and bus pass, and the SUNQ Pass covering buses across Kyushu. Their coverage differs, so prices cannot be compared directly. This article brings together officially published prices and coverage and uses simple calculations to explain when a pass may be worthwhile. It does not rank or promote the passes. For more transport information, see the Fukuoka transport guide.

Key points

• Subway travel within the city: The subway one-day ticket costs 640 yen; it is not always the cheapest option, as the calculation below shows
• Frequent city bus travel: Nishitetsu’s Fukuoka City One-Day Free Pass costs 1,200 yen
• Visiting Dazaifu: The official Dazaifu Walking Pass costs 1,000 yen and includes a return train ticket and an umegae-mochi exchange voucher
• Long-distance buses: The SUNQ Pass covers buses and some ferries only; it does not cover JR or the Shinkansen
• Prices are based on official announcements; check each operator’s official website again before departure

Comparing one-day tickets

Pass	Adult / child (yen)	Coverage (official description)	Where to buy
Fukuoka City Subway one-day ticket	640 / 320	Unlimited travel from the first to the last service of the day on all three subway lines (Airport, Hakozaki and Nanakuma)	Subway stations
Nishitetsu Bus Fukuoka City One-Day Free Pass	1,200 / 600	Unlimited travel for one day on local buses within Fukuoka City; also offers a “Kids Free” service allowing one child to travel free with one adult	Nishitetsu Tenjin Expressway Bus Terminal, Hakata Bus Terminal, Fukuoka Airport Bus Terminal and others
Nishitetsu Bus Fukuoka City + Dazaifu Liner Bus “Tabito”	2,100 / 1,050	Fukuoka City buses and the Dazaifu Liner Bus “Tabito”	Same as above
FUKUOKA 1DAY PASS (Nishitetsu trains and buses)	2,800 / 1,400	Trains: Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line from Fukuoka (Tenjin) to Yanagawa, the Dazaifu Line and the Amagi Line; buses: regular Nishitetsu Group routes in Fukuoka, Kurume, Saga and Chikuho areas, with some sections excluded	Tenjin Tourist Information Centre, Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, Hakata Bus Terminal and others
Dazaifu Walking Pass	1,000 / 630	Nishitetsu return train ticket plus an umegae-mochi exchange voucher	Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station and Yakuin Station

• Nishitetsu’s bus one-day pass also has digital options (6-hour and 24-hour tickets) at lower prices. See the Nishitetsu official website for details
• Nishitetsu publishes the participating facilities offering pass benefits, such as museum discounts; these benefits may change

When is a pass worth buying?

Subway one-day ticket (640 yen)

A single subway fare ranges from 210 to 380 yen (see the Fukuoka transport guide):

• For a 1-zone journey (210 yen): 3 rides cost 630 yen and 4 rides cost 840 yen; the one-day ticket becomes cheaper from 4 rides
• For a 2-zone journey (260 yen): 3 rides cost 780 yen; the one-day ticket is cheaper from 3 rides
• Official example route: Meinohama → Ohori Park → Tenjin → Gion → Meinohama, with individual fares totalling 980 yen
• Not valid on the JR Chikuhi Line (for example, to Itoshima); see How to get from Hakata to Itoshima

Dazaifu day trip

• From Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) to Dazaifu, the one-way fare is 480 yen and the return fare totals 960 yen; see the Dazaifu day trip guide
• The Dazaifu Walking Pass costs 1,000 yen and includes a return train ticket and an umegae-mochi exchange voucher, only 40 yen more than the return rail fare
• Consider the 2,100 yen bus one-day pass only if you also plan to take buses within Fukuoka City

Combined Nishitetsu train and bus pass (2,800 yen)

• Coverage includes trains from Tenjin to Yanagawa and Nishitetsu buses in several areas; it is useful for journeys to places such as Dazaifu and Yanagawa
• If travelling only to Dazaifu and back that day (960 yen), this pass is not economical. For farther destinations such as Yanagawa, calculate the actual train fares before deciding

SUNQ Pass

The SUNQ Pass is a bus travel pass issued by the SUNQ Pass Operating Committee, made up of 46 companies across Kyushu’s 7 prefectures and Shimonoseki.

Item	Official description
Coverage	Express buses, regular local buses (about 2,400 routes) and some ferries in Kyushu’s 7 prefectures and Shimonoseki
Pass types	The official information lists 4 types by area and number of days, including northern and southern Kyushu coverage; see the official website
Validity	Digital 3-day pass: Choose any 3 days within 5 days from first use; 4-day pass: Choose any 4 days within 7 days
Purchase	Digital: Mobile website or app; paper: Bus company counters in Kyushu and Shimonoseki
Payment	Online purchases accept credit cards, Alipay and WeChat Pay
Boarding	Show the pass when boarding and alighting

Prices listed by the Fukuoka City official tourism website (digital / paper passes; see the SUNQ Pass official website for types not listed):

Pass	Price
Northern Kyushu 3-day (Shimonoseki, Nagato, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita and Kumamoto)	Digital 10,000 yen / paper 12,000 yen
All Kyushu 3-day	Digital 12,000 yen / paper 14,000 yen
All Kyushu 4-day	Digital 15,000 yen / paper 17,000 yen

• Average per day: About 3,333 yen for the Northern Kyushu 3-day pass; 4,000 yen for All Kyushu 3-day; and about 3,750 yen for the 4-day pass (digital versions)
• Routes not covered: The official information excludes the Fukuoka–Nagato–Hagi express bus and the overnight bus between Fukuoka and Kagoshima
• Some express bus services require seat reservations
• JR and Shinkansen are not covered: The SUNQ Pass includes only buses and some ferries
• The official website also lists purchaser benefits, which may change

To decide whether to buy, add up the fares for every bus journey you plan to take and compare the total with the pass price above. This article does not list fares for individual express bus routes; check each bus operator’s official website.

Simple guide

Your itinerary	Options to consider
Subway journeys between Hakata, Tenjin and the airport only	Single tickets or a transport IC card; see Transport IC cards and Suica
Taking the subway 3 to 4 times or more in one day	Subway one-day ticket
A day trip to Dazaifu	Dazaifu Walking Pass or single tickets
Several local bus journeys within Fukuoka City in one day	Nishitetsu Fukuoka City One-Day Free Pass
Visiting several places in Kyushu, mainly by bus	Calculate individual fares first, then compare the SUNQ Pass

Frequently asked questions

How are children’s fares calculated?

Child prices for each pass are listed in the table above. On the subway, the child category covers ages 6 to 11 (a 12-year-old elementary school student still counts as a child). See the Fukuoka transport guide.

Is there a cheaper way to buy tickets?

Nishitetsu’s bus one-day pass is also available digitally, and the official information states that the digital version is cheaper than the paper version. For other passes, check the relevant official websites.

Further reading

• Fukuoka transport guide
• Dazaifu day trip
• How to get from Hakata to Itoshima