LY Communications

Aiming to make Fukuoka a richer Smart City, that is top class within Japan.
The first step in this agreement is the “Line up on LINE” initiative in order toreduce congestion at commuter pass sales locations.

LINE Fukuoka Corporation (“LINE Fukuoka”; Location: Hakata Ward, Fukuoka; Representative Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer: Noritaka Ochiai) and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. (“Nishi-Nippon Railroad”; Location: Hakata Ward, Fukuoka; Representative Director, President, and Executive Officer: Sumio Kuratomi) are pleased to announce the conclusion of the “Partnership Agreement to Promote DX in the Nishitetsu Group Using LINE.” This is the first time that LINE Fukuoka has concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement with a private business.

This year, Nishi-Nippon Railroad celebrates its 113th anniversary. Based on the group’s corporate mission of “operating businesses that create new and better experiences and fulfill expectations, thus offering confidence, comfort and enjoyment to our customers while growing along with the community” and the company’s message of “Connecting your Dreams,” they have worked as a company rooted in the area to contribute to the growth of Fukuoka through a wide range of businesses starting with a train and bus system used by a million people each day, as well as shopping centers, offices, supermarkets, hotels, sightseeing trains, and parks.

LINE Fukuoka was established in 2013 as LINE’s second domestic base with the desire to cultivate LINE services together with Fukuoka’s residents and contribute to the city. In its LINE SMART CITY FOR FUKUOKA co-creation initiatives with residents, the local government, and private businesses, the company has undertaken projects to support the daily lives of Fukuoka City residents by utilizing LINE technology to make the city a more affluent place and create new value. One of the main initiatives is the Fukuoka City LINE official account, which has more than 1.75 million registered friends.

Additionally, the company has launched its LINE SMART CITY GovTech Program¹ nationwide in order to create a structure for sharing its development knowledge from the Fukuoka City LINE official account with other local governments that are experiencing the same issues, with the aim of improving the developer experience for governments all across Japan.
¹https://smartcity.lycomm.co.jp/ja/project/smartcityproject/govtech (Sorry, only available in Japanese)

By concluding this partnership agreement to promote DX, the Nishitetsu Group (which support daily life in the region through its businesses) and LINE Fukuoka (which is undertaking a variety of projects utilizing LINE’s technology) hope to improve convenience for citizens and make Fukuoka a richer, more convenient city by collaborating in a variety of fields, including transportation, commerce, and tourism. The aim of this partnership is to make Fukuoka into a Smart City that is top class within Japan.

■ About the Partnership Agreement to Promote DX in the Nishitetsu Group Using LINE
Purpose: To make daily life for Fukuoka residents richer and more convenient by improving the convenience of Nishitetsu Group businesses.
Initiative: Promotion of DX in the Nishitetsu Group using LINE
Contract entities: Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. (Group Strategy Department), LINE Fukuoka Corporation (Smart City Strategy Department)
Conclusion date: Monday, February 15, 2021

■ Specific initiatives based on the Partnership Agreement
▼ First initiative
“Line up on LINE” (LINEで順番待ち): A feature for reducing congestion at commuter pass sales locations
[Service overview]
• Purpose: Long lines for commuter pass sales locations at the start of new fiscal and school years is a long-standing issue, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a solution that would let people avoid the “Three C’s” (close contact, crowds, and closed spaces) was urgently needed. This initiative began in order to solve these issues.
• Solution: Utilize LINE to issue commuter pass reception numbers, which reduces lines and wait times.
• Start date: Monday, March 1, 2021
• Location: Tenjin commuter pass sales office
• Eligible passes: Nishitetsu train and bus commuter passes (for going to work or school)
Note: Some commuter pass types are not eligible.

[How to Use the Feature]
① Add the Nishitetsu train or bus LINE official account as a friend.

② Select the “Line up on LINE” option and receive a number.Along with your reception number, you will also be issued coupons to use at select stores near the commuter pass sales office.

Note: You can see how busy the office currently is on LINE.

③ LINE will send you a notification when it is your turn, so head to the sales office.

■ Message from Sumio Kuratomi – Nishi-Nippon Railroad Representative Director, President, and Executive Officer
The Nishitetsu Group works to develop businesses that support daily life in the region in a variety of fields, and through this business, connect with residents in a wide variety of ways. We are undertaking DX projects in order to improve the quality of the products and services that we offer our customers in the future.

We are thrilled to conclude this partnership agreement with LINE Fukuoka Corporation aimed at promoting DX within the Nishitetsu Group’s businesses, and look forward to working together on initiatives together. Through this partnership agreement, the Nishitetsu Group (which connects with residents in a wide range of offline areas) and LINE Fukuoka (which has a close relationship with its users online) hope to utilize technology to promote DX in a wide variety of fields to create new services for residents.

Our companies share the goal of wanting to make Fukuoka City a better place. Moving forward, we hope to combine forces to contribute to the actualization of Fukuoka City’s transformation into a Smart City.

■ Message from Noritaka Ochiai – LINE Fukuoka Corporation Representative Director, President, and CEO
LINE Fukuoka aims to leverage LINE’s technology to create a richer, more convenient and future-oriented Fukuoka (“Smart City”). By concluding this partnership agreement with the Nishitetsu Group – an integral part of daily life in the city – the LINE Group will realize its “Life on LINE” vision (in which it will pursue “WOW” by becoming a “life infrastructure” that leverages lifestyle innovations to support all aspects of users’ lives 24/7) by collaborating with various companies and organizations, accelerating Fukuoka’s transformation into a “Smart City.”

■ Registered friends for the Nishitetsu Train and Bus LINE official accounts (As of February 12, 2021)
• Nishitetsu Train: 16,000
• Nishitetsu Bus: 22,000

■ Examples of collaboration between Nishi-Nippon Railroad and LINE Fukuoka
• Congestion information delivery for Nishitetsu trains and buses:
https://lycomm.co.jp/en/pr/news/2020/051915
• Support for tourism on Nishitetsu trains by offering the ability to search, pay for, and get discounts on tickets:
https://lycomm.co.jp/ja/pr/news/2020/083114

[Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. Overview]
Company name: Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd.
Location: 3-5-7 Hakataekimae, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative: Sumio Kuratomi, Representative Director, and Executive Officer
Capital: Appx. JPY 26.2 billion
Established: December 17, 1908
Business activities: Railway and automobile transportation, marine transportation, forwarding, air transportation agency, customs brokerage, real estate sales and leasing, hotel administration, leisure facility management, etc.
https://www.nishitetsu.co.jp/en/

[LINE Fukuoka Corp. Overview]
Company name: LINE Fukuoka Corporation
Location: JRJP Hakata Bldg. 12F, 8-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative: Noritaka Ochiai, Representative Director, President, and CEO
Capital: JPY 490 million
Established: November 18, 2013
Business activities: All development, creation, operational, planning, and sales activities for LINE and related services.
https://linefukuoka.co.jp/en/

[Inquiries about this press release]
LINE Fukuoka Corporation　Phone: 092-292-3573 　Email: dl_lfk_pr@linecorp.com
Public Relations Department: Ms. Ishiwata (Phone: 080-8715-2009), Ms. Nishizono (Phone: 080-4355-0858)
Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. Phone: 092-734-1217
Public Relations: Kawanabe, Okawa