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The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd., Central Nippon Expressway Company Limited, and West Nippon Expressway Company Limited are pleased to announce that they have decided to start accepting applications for the "Commuter Pass" social experiment, which has been conducted in six prefectures across the country (Hokkaido, Niigata, Ishikawa, Yamanashi, Kagawa, and Nagasaki) since April 2024, to begin in April 2025.
Weekday morning and evening discounts on Expressway are implemented with the aim of promoting the use of Expressway with spare traffic capacity in order to alleviate congestion on general roads that run parallel to them during Expressway hour. However, the Interim Report (dated August 4, 2021) of the National Trunk Highway Subcommittee of the Road Subcommittee of the Social Capital Development Council stated that "it is necessary to respond to diversifying work patterns, such as by reviewing the conditions for applicable time periods," and "for Expressway that are congested during rush hour, it is necessary to devise measures such as dispersing traffic to the time periods before and after the expressway." Based on the "Basic Policy on New Expressway Tolls" revised on December 22, 2023, we are currently conducting trials and verifications with a view to revising the weekday morning and evening discounts.
As before, to use the Commuter Pass, you will need to apply in advance for the type of vehicle and the section you will be using. Applications for use from April to September 2025 will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Contents of social experiment

1. What is a Commuter Pass? *No change

• This discount allows you to enjoy up to 50% off within the specified section regardless of the day of the week or time of day.
• If you specify the vehicle type and section in advance and apply, you can use the service for up to three trips per day for one month from the beginning of the month to the end of the month.

2. Implementation period

April 1, 2025 (Tuesday) - September 30, 2025 (Tuesday)

3. Recruitment period and application method *The application method remains unchanged.

Please apply via the websites of the companies listed below during the application period mentioned above.

4. Applicable vehicles *No change

Light vehicles, etc. and ordinary vehicles traveling in designated areas using ETC wireless communication
(ETC credit card and ETC personal card only)

• Please note that usage with ETC corporate cards is not eligible.

5. Designated section/sales price (available amount) *No change

• Please refer to the attachment [PDF: 709KB] for details on the combinations of designated sections and sales prices (available amounts).
• Target ICs may be revised based on trial status.

6. Duplication of discounts *No changes

• Holiday discounts and late-night discounts are not applicable to uses to which this discount applies.
• If you apply for a commuter pass, the weekday morning and evening discount will not apply to all Expressway use in the month of application, regardless of whether it is within or outside the designated section.

Other/Notes: *No changes

• Ishikawa Prefecture will be recruiting 1,000 monitors on a first-come, first-served basis each month, and Hokkaido, Niigata, Yamanashi, Kagawa, and Nagasaki will be recruiting 500 monitors on a first-come, first-served basis each month.
• Requirements may change during the implementation period based on the situation such as system load.