Kyoto bus and subway passes: Prices, coverage and discontinued tickets

Compare Kyoto subway, subway-and-bus and Randen day tickets using official fares, valid transport modes and sale periods, while avoiding the discontinued bus-only pass.

Last checked:

  • Kyoto
  • Buses
  • Trains and subways
  • Transport

Kyoto’s transport passes have similar names, but the Subway One-Day Pass, Subway and Bus One-Day Pass and Subway and Randen ticket cover different transport modes. The older bus-only day pass has also been discontinued, so older ticket lists cannot simply be reused. This article uses Kyoto City Transportation Bureau information (checked 2026-10-28) to explain current prices, coverage and date limits, alongside the Kyoto travel guide and Kyoto city transport guide. Whether a pass saves money depends on actual journeys; no savings are guaranteed using invented trip counts.

Key points

  • The Subway and Bus One-Day Pass () costs 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for children; it is not valid for a continuous twenty-four hours.
  • The Subway One-Day Pass () costs 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children, covering all Kyoto subway lines.
  • The Kyoto Subway and Randen 1day Ticket () costs 1,300 yen for adults and is not valid on Kyoto City Bus ().
  • The old bus-only one-day pass ceased to be valid on 2024-03-31 and should not be treated as a currently available ticket.

Current pass comparison: Prices and transport

The following fares and coverage come from Kyoto City Transportation Bureau notices checked 2026-10-28.

Ticket Adult Child Main coverage confirmed officially
Subway and Bus One-Day Pass 1,100 yen 550 yen Kyoto subway and city buses; actual use is subject to pass conditions
Subway One-Day Pass 800 yen 400 yen All Kyoto subway lines
Kyoto Subway and Randen 1day Ticket 1,300 yen Not listed here Subway and Randen; not valid on city buses

The Randen () ticket is not the same as the Subway and Bus One-Day Pass. Both names include “subway”, but that does not mean city bus access is interchangeable. Before buying, list the modes you expect to use that day and check which the pass covers, rather than looking only at the adult face value.

If your day mainly involves the subway, the Subway One-Day Pass coverage is easier to compare directly. If city buses are involved, check the Subway and Bus One-Day Pass conditions. Randen passengers likewise need to distinguish it from subway-only services. Follow operator notices for each product’s routes and exclusions.

“One day” means valid that day, not twenty-four hours

A ticket called “one-day” should not automatically be read as “valid for twenty-four hours after first use”. The official material used here clarifies the date concept for two common day passes.

Ticket How to read its validity What not to assume
Subway and Bus One-Day Pass Valid on the day of use until the end of service It remains valid until the same time next day regardless of starting time
Subway One-Day Pass Valid on the day of use, not a twenty-four-hour ticket Evening and the next morning can automatically be combined
Subway and Randen 1day Ticket Confirm the specified sale period and ticket rules Its name means every city transport mode is included

If a trip spans different days, check the modes and fares for each day separately rather than treating one pass as a cross-day transport budget. For several spread-out destinations in one day, settle on an approximate route before deciding whether the covered transport meets your needs.

Randen ticket sale dates and the discontinued bus pass

This is especially easy to misunderstand in older lists of tickets. These dates come from official information checked 2026-10-28:

Ticket Official date or status What it means when choosing
Kyoto Subway and Randen 1day Ticket On sale 2026-04-01 to 2027-03-31 This is the announced sale period, not proof of permanent availability at the same price afterward
Bus-only One-Day Pass Validity ended 2024-03-31 Do not include it among passes currently available to buy or use

The Subway and Bus One-Day Pass and the discontinued Bus-only One-Day Pass are different products. Even if an older source refers to a “Kyoto Bus One-Day Pass”, that does not establish that the same product is still sold. Check the full official ticket name rather than relying on an abbreviation.

How to choose: Work backwards from the day’s route

The following checklist uses officially stated coverage; it is not a guarantee that any particular itinerary will save money.

Transport planned that day Ticket to check first Main point to verify
Mainly subway Subway One-Day Pass Are all journeys within the subway coverage?
Subway and Kyoto City Bus Subway and Bus One-Day Pass Do the intended bus routes meet the ticket’s conditions?
Subway and Randen Subway and Randen 1day Ticket City buses are excluded, and the sale-date period applies
Want a bus-only one-day pass Do not plan around the old ticket It is no longer valid
Unsure whether any one-day pass is needed First list each journey and separate fare Then compare individual tickets against the pass price

For example, when travelling from Kyoto Station to several attractions, first identify whether the route uses JR, subway or city bus, then put each segment in one table. This avoids assuming every train or bus is covered just because the product is a day pass. It does not mean the savings for an individual traveller have been verified. For routes to attractions, see the Kyoto Station transport comparison.

Reminder

Prices, routes and sale dates may change. The details above come from official information checked 2026-10-28; check the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau again before departure. In particular, the Randen ticket has a defined sale period, while the old bus-only pass is discontinued. Neither should be presented as a permanently available option without restrictions.

Further reading

Sources