Facial recognition deployed for subway payments in Japan, Kazakhstan and Russia

More cities are experimenting with face biometrics in public transportation but the rollouts are proceeding at very different paces.

The Southern Japanese city of Kumamoto now allows tram passengers to pay with their faces using facial recognition technology from Saffe. The Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau commenced the face payment pilot on December 20, allowing passengers to register through the Quick Ride or Bankit mobile apps. The test will run until the end of March 2024.

Participating in the pilot …

biometric payments biometrics biometrics news bureau cities city face biometrics facial facial recognition facial recognition technology financial services japan japanese kazakhstan pay payment payments public public transportation recognition russia subway technology transportation