Toei Bus fares and how to pay: IC cards, cash and child fares
Toei Bus fares: the same amount every ride inside the 23 wards
The short answer is that Toei Bus fares work in a very simple way. On routes inside Tokyo's 23 wards you pay the same flat fare per ride, wherever you board and wherever you get off, and as of August 2026 that is ¥210 for adults (¥210 by IC card as well), and for children ¥110 in cash or ¥105 by IC card. Distance never enters into it, so you never have to work the fare out, even on a route you have never taken before.
You pay only once, as you board. Toei Bus routes inside the 23 wards use front-door boarding with payment up front: you enter through the front door, settle the fare at the farebox, and then simply step off through the rear door at your stop. With no fare to settle on the way out as there is on the trains, once you are aboard you can relax.
This article sets out the fares in force as of August 2026, based on information published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. We will look in turn at the difference between IC cards and cash, at fares for children, and at how to pay smoothly on board.
The fare table: standard routes and the exceptions
Almost every Toei Bus route inside the 23 wards charges the same fare, but a handful of routes differ. The regular fares as of August 2026 are as follows.
| Category | Adult (cash) | Adult (IC) | Child (cash) | Child (IC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard routes (including express and direct buses) | ¥210 | ¥210 | ¥110 | ¥105 |
| School bus routes (学 02, 学 03, 学 05, 学 06) | ¥180 | ¥178 | ¥90 | ¥89 |
| Routes C and H01 | ¥190 | ¥189 | ¥100 | ¥95 |
Beyond these, the Shiokaze community bus in Koto City (route 江東 01) has a fare all of its own: ¥100 for adults and children alike, in cash or by IC card. Routes in the Tama area, such as those around Ome City, are not flat-fare at all; they use a distance-based zone system in which the fare rises with the distance you travel (starting at ¥180 for adults, ¥178 by IC card). If you are riding in the Tama area, check the fares for each section on the official site.
The exact amounts and the conditions under which each applies can be confirmed on the Bureau of Transportation's regular fare page.
Paying by IC card: one tap and you are done
The easiest way to pay is with a transit IC card. As of August 2026, PASMO, Suica and the other nationally interoperable transit IC cards are accepted on every Toei Bus route. Mobile PASMO and Mobile Suica on a smartphone, and PASMO in Apple Pay, work in exactly the same way.
Using one means nothing more than tapping the card or phone on the reader on the farebox as you board. There is no change to count out, and boarding goes as smoothly as it possibly can. On some routes the IC fare is set a little below the cash fare, as with the ¥105 child IC fare on standard routes, which is another point in the IC card's favor.
One thing to watch. The IC fare applies only when a single IC card can cover the whole fare in one go. If the stored balance falls short of the fare, that balance is deducted and you pay the shortfall in cash, and the ride is then treated as a cash fare. Unlike the trains, where your balance appears at the ticket gate, on a bus there is little to alert you until the moment you board, so check the balance before you set off. If it is looking thin, you can top up on board a Toei bus in ¥1,000 units using ¥1,000 notes. Moving around inside a bus while it is running is dangerous, so the safe approach is to ask while the bus is stopped.
Paying in cash: mind how the change function works
If you pay in cash, you put the exact fare into the farebox as you board. What you need to know here is that a bus farebox is not a machine that returns change automatically. If you have no coins on you, use the change function built into the farebox first, then put the fare in. The only note it takes is the ¥1,000 note, so it matters that you do not board a bus with nothing but ¥5,000 or ¥10,000 notes in your pocket.
The sequence for a cash ride comes down to this.
- Before boarding, have the exact fare in coins, or a ¥1,000 note, ready.
- Board through the front door and, if you have coins, put them straight into the farebox.
- If you have no coins, break a ¥1,000 note at the farebox first, then put the fare in.
Getting change during the busy hours tends to keep the people behind you waiting. If you ride buses at all regularly, an IC card that you top up and use again and again makes paying very much easier.
Fares for children: four categories by age
When you are riding with children, knowing how the age categories work puts your mind at rest. As of August 2026 they are as follows.
- Adult (12 and over, junior high school age and above): adult fare. A 12-year-old who is still in elementary school pays the child fare.
- Child (ages 6 to 11, including 12-year-olds in elementary school): child fare, which on standard routes is ¥110 in cash or ¥105 by IC card.
- Toddler (ages 1 to 5, including 6-year-olds not yet in school): up to two ride free when accompanied by an adult or by a child fare-payer. A third toddler, and any toddler riding unaccompanied, pays the child fare.
- Infant (under 1): free.
So if one adult boards a standard route with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, the two toddlers ride free and the only payment is the adult's ¥210. A children's IC card applies the child fare automatically, so getting one for an elementary school child saves having to say anything on board and makes getting on and off easier.
Discounts and passes worth knowing if you ride often
If you expect to take several buses in one day, a one-day pass that lets you ride Toei buses as often as you like can come to less than paying each time you board. Our article on the Toei Bus one-day pass goes into the detail.
There are also commuter passes for those who travel the same route to work or school, and discounted fares for passengers with disabilities, granted on presentation of a certificate. The full conditions for each scheme are gathered on the Bureau of Transportation's fares, tickets and passes page.
To sum up, three points are all you need: inside the 23 wards the Toei Bus fare is a flat amount for each ride, tapping an IC card is the easiest way to pay, and if you are paying in cash you should come with coins or a ¥1,000 note. Our guide to riding a Toei bus walks through the actual steps in order, so do read that alongside this.
The fares and charges given in this article are those current at the time of writing and do not reflect any later revisions.