Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass: Price & Where to Buy

The Kyoto Bus 1-Day Pass stopped being valid on March 31, 2024. The Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass now costs 1,100 yen for adults, and on the 230-yen bus sections it pays off from the fifth ride. Here are the prices and sales points, plus a comparison with the Subway & Randen 1-Day Ticket.

The Kyoto Bus 1-Day Pass Is Gone

The bus-centered 1-day passes Kyoto used to sell have all been withdrawn. The best known were the Bus 1-Day Pass and the Bus & Randen 1-Day Pass.

Once sales stopped, the tickets people already held also expired: the Bus 1-Day Pass could no longer be used after March 31, 2024.

The older 500-yen City Bus & Kyoto Bus 1-day ticket card is finished too: it can no longer be used, exchanged, or refunded. So the bus-only 1-day pass and the bus-plus-Randen 1-day pass that many travelers used on earlier Kyoto trips simply cannot be bought anymore.

Kyoto Transit Passes: Types and Prices

There are several 1-day passes on sale for a Kyoto trip right now.

Which one works out cheaper depends on what you ride and how often.

If you'll mostly be on buses, look at the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass; if it is mainly the subway, the Subway 1-Day Pass; and if you will ride the Randen several times around Arashiyama, compare the Kyoto Subway & Randen 1day Ticket.

Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass

The Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass costs 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for children. It covers every Kyoto Municipal Subway and City Bus line plus some Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and Nishinihon JR Bus routes, with no limit on how many times you ride that day. It suits a plan with several bus and subway trips.

✅ Lines and route maps

The Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass covers all Kyoto Municipal Subway lines and all City Bus routes, along with some Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and Nishinihon JR Bus routes. The Keihan Railway, JR trains, Hankyu and the Randen are not included.

• ① All Kyoto Municipal Subway lines (Karasuma and Tozai)
• ② All Kyoto City Bus routes
• ③ Kyoto Bus (routes within Ohara, Iwakura Muramatsu, Iwakura Jissoin, Ichihara, Daikakuji, Kiyotaki and Kokedera)
• ④ Keihan Bus (the Yamashina and Daigo areas plus central Kyoto routes)
• ⑤ Nishinihon JR Bus (within the flat-fare section between Kyoto Station and Toganoo)

✅ On 230-yen bus sections, it pays off from the fifth ride

If you only ride 230-yen bus sections, four rides come to 920 yen and paying per ride is cheaper; five rides come to 1,150 yen, and the day pass saves 50 yen. If you are mixing in the subway or other covered buses, the number of rides matters less. What matters is whether the regular fares covered by the pass add up to more than 1,100 yen.

✅ How to use it

On the KANSAI MaaS website or app you can buy a digital coupon with a credit card. The coupon itself does not let you board. You have to exchange it for a physical 1-day pass at the information center in front of Kyoto Station or the Kotochika Kyoto information center first.

The first time you ride a bus, put the pass into the card slot on the fare box as you get off and the date of use is printed on the back. After that you just show the printed date to the driver.

The EX100 and EX101 Sightseeing Express buses work differently from ordinary buses: you board through the front door and pay first.

On the subway, feed the pass into the automatic gate, walk through, and take the ticket back as it comes out the other side.

Kyoto Subway 1-Day Pass

The Kyoto Subway 1-Day Pass is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children. It covers the whole Karasuma and Tozai lines with no limit on rides that day, which suits a plan built around the Kyoto Municipal Subway.

※ A Subway 1-Day Pass bought from a ticket machine is only valid on the day you buy it.

✅ Lines covered and where it stops

The Subway 1-Day Pass works on every Kyoto Municipal Subway line.

• ① Karasuma Line: Kokusaikaikan Station to Takeda Station
• ② Tozai Line: Rokujizo Station to Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station

Note that even on trains that run through from the subway, going beyond the valid section onto the Kintetsu or Keihan lines means paying that section's fare separately.

✅ From three or four subway rides it pays off

Regular Kyoto Municipal Subway fares run from 220 to 360 yen for adults depending on distance. So don't just count rides. What matters is whether the day's regular fares add up to more than 800 yen.

✅ How to use it

A ticket bought from a machine can only be used on the day it is issued. Do not print tomorrow's pass in advance.

To use it, feed the pass into the automatic gate like an ordinary ticket, walk through, and take it back as it comes out. Within the valid section you can get on and off as you like all day.

Showing the Subway 1-Day Pass also gets you a discount or a small perk that same day at places like Nijo Castle, the Museum of Kyoto, Kyoto City Zoo, Murin-an and the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Check each site's latest information before you go, since the benefits and opening days change.

Kyoto Subway & Randen 1day Ticket

The Kyoto Subway & Randen 1day Ticket is 1,300 yen for adults, with no children's version. There is no limit on how many times you ride either the subway or the Randen that day. It works for an itinerary that uses both several times.

✅ Lines covered and where it stops

On the subway it covers the whole Karasuma and Tozai lines, and on the Randen the whole Arashiyama Main Line and Kitano Line.

• ① Karasuma Line: Kokusaikaikan Station to Takeda Station
• ② Tozai Line: Rokujizo Station to Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station
• ③ All Randen (Keifuku Electric Railroad) lines

Since it does not cover Kyoto City Buses, it fits an itinerary that strings together sights along the Randen (Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji, Ninna-ji, Ryoan-ji) better than one that leans on buses, like Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji.

✅ From six subway and Randen rides combined it pays off

The Randen fare is currently a flat 250 yen for adults across the whole network, and the Kyoto Municipal Subway runs 220 to 360 yen by distance. So what you need to work out is whether the separate fares for the subway and the Randen come to more than 1,300 yen.

For reference, if you plan to ride only the Randen several times, there is also a separate Randen 1-Day Free Ticket at 700 yen for adults.

The other way round, if you will use both the subway and the Randen a lot, buying the 800-yen Subway 1-Day Pass and the 700-yen Randen 1-Day Free Ticket separately comes to 1,500 yen, so the 1,300-yen combined ticket is 200 yen cheaper.

✅ How to use it

On the subway, feed the ticket into the automatic gate like an ordinary ticket, walk through, and take it back as it comes out.

On the Randen, pass the ticket through the card reader as you get off. If you travel beyond the valid section you pay the fare for the extra part separately.

Kurama, Kibune and Nara Day Passes

If you are making a day trip from Kyoto to Kurama and Kibune, or to Nara, there are dedicated 1-day passes for those areas. The Subway & Eiden Kurama / Kibune Day Trip Ticket is 2,100 yen for adults and the Nara & Ikaruga 1day Ticket is 2,200 yen for adults. Both go on sale from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027; the Kurama and Kibune ticket can be used on any one day up to March 31, 2027, and the Nara & Ikaruga 1day Ticket up to April 30, 2027.

Neither pass is much use for a day spent only around central Kyoto's main sights. They are worth comparing if you are staying in Kyoto and planning a day trip out to Kurama and Kibune or to Nara.

Kyoto 1-Day Pass FAQ

Q. Can I still buy the Kyoto Bus 1-Day Pass?

A. No. Sales of the old Kyoto Bus 1-Day Pass ended on September 30, 2023, and it stopped being usable on March 31, 2024. If you want to use both buses and the subway, compare the Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass that is on sale now.

Q. Are the Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass and the Subway 1-Day Pass valid for 24 hours?

A. No. Neither is a 24-hour pass; both are valid for the calendar day you use them. In particular, a Subway 1-Day Pass bought from a ticket machine can only be used on the day of purchase.

In Kyoto, your route for the day can change quite a bit with the transport you choose. Settle the day's plan before the trip and pick the 1-day pass that fits it, and getting around Kyoto will be easier and more relaxed.

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