Interest

Kyoto Subway Creates Moe Character to Boost Ridership

The Kyoto City Department of Transportation announced on December 12 that its committee for increasing youth ridership designed the moe character "Moe Uzumasa" to encourage more young people to take public transit. The female high school student appears in a tie-up promotion that launched this month in the compact sightseeing information magazine Off-Time.

The promotion will offer 1,000-yen transportation cards (pictured) with images of Moe. Commuters and travelers can buy the cards and use them to pay for rides on subways and city buses throughout Kyoto. A total of 10,000 cards will be issued beginning next Wednesday.

The January issue of Off-Time, released on December 15, includes an article with Moe listing the best places to visit for the traditional Japanese first shrine visit of the new year. Moe introduces herself and her parents in the magazine, and the issue published the first 4-panel manga featuring Moe's family. Copies of Off-Time magazine also bundle a one-day transportation pass as a bonus this month, and readers can enter for a chance to receive one of three 1,000-yen Moe transportation cards. New issues of the Off-Time compact magazine are released near the 15th of every month. The magazine is available for free in subway stations, inside buses, and at bus and subway information desks.

Between January 1 and 15, people will be able to send New Year's cards that feature Moe and her family. Those who send the cards will be eligible for a chance to win one of three Moe transportation cards. A Moe information service for iPhone users will also launch in April.

The project's aim is to encourage 50,000 more people, especially young people, to use Kyoto City's subway and public transit systems. Moe's creators plan to unveil more Moe initiatives in the future.

[Via My Game News Flash]