TOKYO -- Japanese travel company Willer will let passengers ride taxis, buses and trains for a monthly flat payment as soon as autumn 2020, Nikkei has learned, with tests to begin in coastal northern Kyoto Prefecture next spring.

The Osaka-based highway bus operator plans to charge riders around 5,000 yen ($46) per month to hop on any ride offered by a participating provider by scanning a QR code.

The program is aimed at easing urban traffic as well as making it easier to find a lift in sparsely populated areas. Lightening the environmental impact of travel and improving efficiency for transit operators are also goals.

Transit platforms such as this, known as "mobility as a service," are on the rise in northern Europe and elsewhere, often letting users book routes and pay from within a single smartphone app.

Willer is making arrangements with other bus companies and taxi operators in seven municipalities served by its subsidiary Kyoto Tango Railway, including scenic areas of northern Kyoto and neighboring Hyogo Prefecture. Based on how it performs there, Willer is eyeing expanding northeast along the coast on the Sea of Japan to the prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata.

Partner transit providers would be asked to accept QR codes as a form of payment. Some details, such as how many times passengers can use the service per month, are yet to be ironed out. The company is weighing the introduction of ride sharing that uses artificial intelligence to plot the most efficient routes.

Finland's MaaS Global is held up as an early leader in the subscription transport model. Among users of its services in Helsinki, the proportion of people riding public transport reportedly rose from under 50% to over 60%, while personal car use declined -- a trend expected to help ease both pollution and congestion.