Kawasaki City Bus fare hike from Apr 1, 2027: ¥240 for adults and ¥120 for children, council has passed the change, national approval still pending

City bus fares to rise from April 2027

The Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau plans to raise city bus fares from Apr 1, 2027. The adult fare will go from ¥220 to ¥240.

Changing fares requires amending a city ordinance. The amendment was passed as proposed by the city council on Oct 13, 2026.

This is the first increase since October 2022, when the fare rose from ¥210 to ¥220.

Adults: ¥220 to ¥240

The planned changes published by the city are as follows.

Ticket type	Now	From Apr 1, 2027 (planned)
Adult (cash or IC card)	¥220	¥240
Child (cash or IC card)	¥110	¥120
Special adult (cash or IC card)	¥110	¥120
Special child	¥60 cash, ¥55 IC card	¥60
Commuter pass, 1 month	¥9,900	¥10,800
Commuter pass, 3 months	¥28,220	¥30,780
Commuter pass, 6 months (IC card only)	¥53,460	¥58,320
Student pass (junior high and up, elementary and below)	No change	No change
One-day pass (IC card), adult	¥550	¥600
One-day pass (IC card), child	¥280	¥300

Special commuter passes also go up (1 month from ¥6,930 to ¥7,560, and so on), while special student passes do not change. The city says it is keeping student passes at current prices to ease the burden on families with children.

The amended ordinance says passes bought before the increase can be used as they are until they expire.

Rising costs and depot rebuilding

The city points to rising prices, which have increased the cost of running buses and of facility work such as rebuilding depots. Costs for hiring and training drivers and mechanics are also expected to grow. The city says current fare income cannot cover the spending ahead.

The city lists three major costs:

• Replacing buses: 133 vehicles (about 44% of the fleet) over the four years from FY2026 to FY2029
• Rebuilding the Shiohama depot (Kawasaki Ward): over 50 years old, with construction planned to start in FY2028
• Rising prices: the consumer price index rose about 12% from 2020 to 2025

The city also plans to add more non-step buses with open space for wheelchairs and strollers, replace the screens at the front of buses with larger, easier-to-read ones, and accept cashless payment when buying commuter passes.

Council approved; national approval pending

The city council process is complete, but national approval is still pending. The schedule in the city’s report is as follows.

When	What
July 2026	Report to the city council’s Environment Committee
September 2026	Ordinance amendment submitted to the city council
Oct 13, 2026	Passed by the city council as proposed
From November 2026	Application to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to change the fare cap
February 2027	Approval from the ministry (planned)
Apr 1, 2027	New fares take effect (planned)

Bus fares have a "cap" approved by the national government and an "actual fare" charged within that cap. The city will set the actual adult fare at ¥240 and apply for a cap of ¥260 for adults and ¥130 for children. The higher cap is meant to let the city respond quickly if its business environment changes suddenly.

The Town News (Kawasaki and Saiwai edition) reports that, according to a bureau official, there are no plans for now to charge ¥260. The city notes that the dates may change depending on national approval.

Nothing to do now; current passes stay valid

No. The city plans to make an announcement once national approval is given.

If you use a commuter pass, it helps to know that a pass bought before the increase can be used as it is until it expires.

Contacts

Contact the Safety and Service Section, Bus Department, Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau (phone 044-200-3210, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). You can also send questions or comments through the inquiry form on the bureau’s page.