How much does a Kyoto bus or subway ride cost?
The city bus fare page sets three prices (checked 19 October 2026):
| Bus ride | Adult | Child (6–11) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-fare zone, standard routes | ¥230 | ¥120 |
| Sightseeing Limited Express (EX100, EX101) | ¥500 | ¥250 |
| Outside the flat-fare zone | By distance | Half, rounded up to ¥10 |
The fare shown on the screen at the front of the bus is the adult fare. Outside the flat-fare zone, the bureau says the fare depends on where you board and which route you take.
The subway charges by distance, in five bands set on 1 October 2025 (subway fare page):
| Distance | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 km | ¥220 | ¥110 |
| 3–7 km | ¥260 | ¥130 |
| 7–11 km | ¥290 | ¥150 |
| 11–15 km | ¥330 | ¥170 |
| Over 15 km | ¥360 | ¥180 |
The subway riding guide gives service hours of roughly 5:00 to 23:00, with fewer trains early and late.
How to pay: IC cards yes, credit cards no
The Transportation Bureau's IC card page lists ten cards that work on city buses and the subway: PiTaPa, ICOCA, Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, Hayakaken, nimoca and SUGOCA. You can buy an ICOCA from subway station machines for ¥2,000, of which ¥500 is a refundable deposit and ¥1,500 is fare.
What does not work matters as much. The bus and subway riding guides both state that credit and debit cards cannot be used and that the Japan Rail Pass is not valid. If you rely on tapping a foreign card in Tokyo, that habit fails here.
Which day passes still exist?
Kyoto stopped selling its ¥700 bus-only day pass on 30 September 2023, and old ones stopped working on 31 March 2024. The bureau's notice explains why: it was a measure against city bus crowding, after a 2018 survey found about 90% of buyers were non-residents, mostly riding to sightseeing spots. The city now points visitors to a pass that includes the subway.
| Pass | Adult / child | Covers | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass | ¥1,100 / ¥550 | Both subway lines, all city buses, listed Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and JR Bus routes | The calendar day of first use |
| Subway 1-Day Pass | ¥800 / ¥400 | Karasuma and Tozai subway lines only | Day of purchase, or the day first used if bought in advance |
| Subway & Bus IC 24H Ticket | ¥1,100 / ¥550 cap | Subway, city buses, most Kyoto Bus routes, JR Bus flat-fare routes; not Keihan Bus | 24 hours from a registered start time |
Sources: Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass, Subway 1-Day Pass and the IC 24H Ticket page, checked 19 October 2026.
The Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass is a magnetic card. You can buy it at subway stations, the city's bus and subway information centres, select convenience stores, tourist information centres and hotels, or on a city bus, where it may sell out. The date of use is printed on the back the first time you put it through a ticket gate.
The IC 24H Ticket is not a card you buy. It is a fare cap inside the bureau's IC point service: you register at least 5 minutes before your chosen start, pay normal fares, and get points back for anything above ¥1,100. The bureau's page does not say which IC cards can be registered, so for a short trip the paper day pass is the simpler choice.
Is the ¥1,100 day pass worth it?
Count your rides. At ¥230 a bus ride, five rides cost ¥1,150, so the pass starts paying from the fifth bus. Mixed days break even sooner:
- Three buses and two subway rides of 3–7 km: ¥690 + ¥520 = ¥1,210. The pass saves ¥110.
- Two EX100 rides plus one city bus: ¥1,000 + ¥230 = ¥1,230. The pass saves ¥130, because the Sightseeing Limited Express page accepts it with no extra fare.
- Four short bus rides: ¥920. Pay as you go with an IC card.
If your day is all subway, the ¥800 Subway 1-Day Pass needs at least three rides of ¥290 or more to win. Skip both passes on days spent mostly on JR, Keihan or Hankyu trains, which the city passes do not cover.
Crowded buses: when to switch to the subway or rail
The bus network is where the crowding problem sits, which is why the city withdrew the bus-only pass. Kyoto's tourism office puts the strategy in one line: "Before getting on the bus, go to the nearest subway station to the tourist spot!" (Getting Around Kyoto by Subway & Train, last modified 1 April 2026). It pairs sights with lines:
- Nijo Castle and Heian Shrine: subway Tozai Line (see our Nijo Castle tickets guide)
- Fushimi Inari Taisha: JR, or Keihan to Fushimi-Inari Station
- Arashiyama: Randen or the Hankyu Arashiyama Line (compared in our Arashiyama and Tenryu-ji guide)
- To-ji: Kintetsu, one stop from Kyoto Station
For Kiyomizu-dera and Ginkaku-ji, the EX100 is a faster option from Kyoto Station's stop D1, with stops at Gojo-zaka, Gion, Okazaki Koen and Ginkakuji-mae. Morning departures run every 7 to 8 minutes on operating days. The timetable shows EX100 leaving Kyoto Station from 9:12 to 16:42 and the shorter EX101 (Kyoto Station to Gojo-zaka only) from 9:04 to 10:49. The bureau's discount tickets page describes them as weekend and holiday sightseeing buses, so check the day before relying on one.
For Fushimi Inari, the train beats the bus outright; our Fushimi Inari guide explains which station to use. If you are still at the airport, start with Kansai Airport to Kyoto.