Ryde
Ryde operates RYDE PASS, a no-code digital ticketing platform that enables Japan's regional transport operators and municipalities to issue and sell digital tickets across trains, buses, trams, ferries, and bike-sharing without development costs, monetizing via transaction fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Ryde does
Ryde is a Tokyo-based mobility SaaS company founded in September 2019 that operates the RYDE PASS platform, a no-code digital ticketing system targeted at Japan's regional transport operators and municipalities. The platform enables bus companies, regional railways, tram operators, ferry services, and local governments to issue digital tickets (one-day passes, tourist passes, round-trip tickets, bundled packages with coupons) without upfront development or maintenance costs; operators create tickets using images and text, and tickets are authenticated via QR codes presented to drivers or station staff. RYDE PASS aggregates multiple transport modes — trains, buses, trams, ferries, and bike-sharing services (Docomo Bike Share, Hello Cycling) — into a single consumer iOS/Android application with Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPay, and credit card payment support. The platform also provides operators with usage analytics on demographics, purchase channels, and geographic patterns to support data-driven marketing.
The company monetizes via transaction fees on tickets sold through the platform rather than upfront subscription fees, charging operators only on a pay-as-you-go basis. Revenue streams include platform services to transport operators (transaction fees and membership fees) and ticket sales commissions. Customers are segmented into regional transport operators, local municipalities promoting smart-city and tourism initiatives, tourists and travelers, and local residents — with go-to-market executed through direct B2B sales, industry events, public-private partnerships, and consumer app store discovery. Named customers include 130+ transport operators and municipalities across Japan as of December 2024, such as Kumagawa Railway, Hiroshima Bus, Oigawa Railway, Echizen Railway, Tokyu Bus, the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei Bus and Toden Arakawa Line), Nagasaki Electric Tramway, Minamichita Town, Yonago City, and Fukuoka City.
Ryde is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Daikanyama, Tokyo, with registered capital of ¥135,885,000. It has completed two funding rounds (May 2021 and September 2023, amounts undisclosed) led by SV-FINTECH Fund with participation from THE SEED and BREW Inc. The company holds a Type 2 Travel Agency registration (Tokyo Governor) and ISO 27001 certification (IS 814625), was selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's King Salmon Project in November 2023, and was named to Forbes Japan Startup 100 and Toyo Keizai Super Venture 100 in 2024. Leadership comprises CEO Sugisaki Masaya (杉崎正哉) and CTO Shibahara Yusuke (芝原佑介). Ryde operates exclusively in Japan with a first disclosed international expansion signal via a 2025 partnership with Concorde (Singapore).
Ryde firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ryde
- Legal name
- RYDE株式会社
- Website
- https://ryde-inc.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Ryde operates RYDE PASS, a no-code digital ticketing platform that enables Japan's regional transport operators and municipalities to issue and sell digital tickets across trains, buses, trams, ferries, and bike-sharing without development costs, monetizing via transaction fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Ryde is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ryde business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Services to Transport Operators: Ryde provides its RYDE PASS platform to transport operators and municipalities, enabling them to sell digital tickets. The company benefits from transaction fees on ticket sales and subscription/membership fees from platform access.
- Ticket Sales Commission: Ryde takes a commission on digital tickets sold through its platform, generating revenue per transaction from transport operators and municipalities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Platform access for transport operators - no development or maintenance costs |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual digital tickets for consumers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ryde product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ryde operates RYDE PASS, a no-code cloud-based mobility platform that enables regional transport operators and municipalities to create and sell digital tickets for trains, buses, trams, ferries, and bike-sharing services without any development or maintenance costs. The platform is consumed by transport operators on a B2B basis (paid via transaction fees) and by end users via a consumer-facing iOS/Android mobile app where digital tickets are purchased and authenticated through QR codes.
Product overview
Ryde operates RYDE PASS, a unified mobility platform for regional transportation digitalization in Japan. The platform enables transportation operators to issue digital tickets for trains, buses, trams, ferries, and other mobility services through a smartphone application. The no-code ticket creation system requires no development costs or maintenance fees, allowing operators to easily create digital tickets using images and text. Users can purchase and use tickets through the app, with support for multiple payment methods including Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPay, and credit cards. The platform also integrates with bike-sharing services (Docomo Bike Share and Hello Cycling) for multi-modal transportation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RYDE PASS: 二次交通に特化したモビリティプラットフォーム。鉄道、バス、路面電車、旅客船などの乗車券をデジタル化するサービス。
- エコのるプロジェクト
- しまなみデジタルPASSプロジェクト
Products and services
- RYDE PASS A no-code mobility platform that allows transport operators and municipalities to digitize and sell tickets for trains, buses, trams, ferries, and integrated bike-sharing services. Consumers discover and purchase tickets through an iOS/Android app with QR-code authentication, supported by Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPay, and credit card payments. Operators receive usage analytics without any upfront development or maintenance fees.
Companies that use Ryde
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ryde technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature4 records
Ryde partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Concorde (Singapore)coreStrategic partnership to promote cross-sector workforce transformation in Singapore. Aims to develop talent and skills in the mobility and transport sector through collaborative initiatives.
- Japan Regional Revitalization Council (日本地域国際化推進機構)minorOrganization promoting internationalization of regional Japan. Ryde is a member working on regional mobility solutions.
- Japan Railway Cybernetics Association (日本鉄道サイバネティクス協議会)minorIndustry association for railway technology and systems. Ryde joined in April 2023.
- Smart City Institute (スマートシティ・インスティテテュート)minorOrganization promoting smart city initiatives. Ryde participates as a member supporting mobility digitalization.
- KOBE Smart City Promotion Consortium (KOBEスマートシティ推進コンソーシアム)minorKobe City consortium for smart city development. Ryde participates in mobility initiatives.
- Japan Research Institute (株式会社日本総合研究所)coreStrategic partner for Onomichi Digital PASS Project, working on tourist mobility digitalization in Hiroshima.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ryde competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Via Transportation: Transit technology platform powering microtransit, paratransit, and on-demand public transport for agencies. Comparable to RYDE in providing a software layer that transit operators and municipalities deploy.
- Citymapper: Multi-modal urban mobility app offering routing, ticketing, and pass aggregation. Comparable to RYDE PASS as a consumer-facing multi-modal transit companion with operator partnerships.
- Transit App: Multi-modal transit app with integrated mobile ticketing in North America and Europe. Comparable to RYDE PASS in combining trip planning with operator-issued digital tickets in a single app.
- Moovit: Multi-modal transit app and MaaS data platform used by hundreds of millions of riders. Comparable to RYDE in aggregating multiple transport modes under a single consumer app and serving city/operator partners.
- Masabi: Mobile ticketing and fare-validation platform for transit operators worldwide (Justride). Closest functional peer to RYDE PASS in providing no-code / SDK-light digital ticketing to bus, rail, and ferry operators.
- MaaS Global (Whim): Subscription-based MaaS app bundling public transport, taxis, bikes, and rentals. Comparable to RYDE in pursuing multi-modal integration with public transport operators as core partners.
- Mobility Technologies: Japan's leading MaaS and taxi-hailing platform (JapanTaxi/MOV), building multi-modal mobility services. Directly comparable because it pursues the same operator-and-municipality digitalization thesis as RYDE in the Japanese market.
Regional players
- NAVITIME Japan: Japan's dominant transit navigation and route-planning platform. Comparable as a Japan-based multi-modal consumer app that monetizes through transport-related partnerships and could extend into ticketing.
Broad incumbents
- Cubic Transportation Systems: Global fare-collection and transit technology vendor serving major agencies. Comparable as a comprehensive transit ticketing infrastructure provider, though at much larger scale and with hardware-led offerings versus RYDE's SaaS model.
- JR East (Suica / Mobile Suica): Operator of Japan's largest IC card transit payment system (Suica) and Mobile Suica app. Comparable as an entrenched Japanese transit-ticketing platform whose digital ecosystem RYDE must interoperate with and compete against.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ryde social profiles
Digital presenceRyde compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Ryde financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ryde leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ryde funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ryde M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ryde
What does Ryde do?
Ryde operates RYDE PASS, a no-code cloud-based mobility platform that enables regional transport operators and municipalities to create and sell digital tickets for trains, buses, trams, ferries, and bike-sharing services without any development or maintenance costs. The platform is consumed by transport operators on a B2B basis (paid via transaction fees) and by end users via a consumer-facing iOS/Android mobile app where digital tickets are purchased and authenticated through QR codes.
Is Ryde a public or private company?
Ryde is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ryde founded?
Ryde was founded in 2019.
Where is Ryde based?
Ryde is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Ryde make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Services to Transport Operators are the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales Commission.
Who are Ryde's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Via Transportation, Citymapper, Transit App, Moovit, Masabi, MaaS Global (Whim) and Mobility Technologies. NAVITIME Japan is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Cubic Transportation Systems and JR East (Suica / Mobile Suica).
Does Ryde have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ryde.