Modes of payment for bus and tram in Kumamoto

Hi. I plan for a 4D trip in Kumamoto where main transport mode will be buses and trams during my stay in Kumamoto.
I found Sun Q pass is not that worth for me to buy as I won�ft be taking so much bus rides.
May I know how can I pay for fares on buses if I do not get this SunQ pass?
Will I be able to a Suica card that can top up and use on bus and trams? Thanks for advices.

In the city, you can use Suica (or Sugoca, Nimoca, Icoca, Pasmo, etc.) on trams and buses. The two local cards are Sugoca (JR trains) and Nimoca (non-JR transport). So if you look for places to recharge, look for these card names.

Yes you can use a suica card.

Both the local buses and trams also have daily passes. So depending on your usage, these passes may be a benefit.

Oh how do I purchase the daily passes? I�fm still confused on which are the bus operators a
Is local bus different from highway bus?

I just got my tram pass from the tourist info counter at Kumamoto station. You just scratch off the day and month to use.

I'd guess the buses would be similar. You have to google which buses are local. I don't have the info.

https://kumamoto-guide.jp/en/access/city.html

This should help.

You can buy Kumamoto Tram pass 1day=500
Minami aso railway 1 day=1000 yen
Sanko bus 1 day =1300 yen

I could be wrong since I know little about Kumamoto, but as far as I know, you can use cash per ride in all public transportation throughout Japan.

Opposed to that, there are regions in foreign countries where you always need to buy some sort of a pass designed for multiple rides. But in Japan, you can just hop on a bus or tram and pay in cash as you get off (in bigger cities, you pay a fixed fare as you get on).

Make sure, however, that you at least have one 1000 yen bill with you. Even though you run out of coins, you can always use that bill to exchange it to coins inside the bus/tram, and you'll be able to pay whatever you need to.

Another thing to keep in mind when using public transportation outside big cities is that, if you are going to use cash, you need to take a "sei-ri-ken" (numbered ticket) as you get on. See the example on the Toshi Bus link below where it says �®—�Œ”. If you happen to fail to take it, just tell the driver the stop you got on, and he will tell you the fare as you get off.

Here are illustrated examples of a tram and a bus in Kumamoto.
http://www.kotsu-kumamoto.jp/one_html3/pub/default.aspx?c_id=7
https://www.kumamoto-toshibus.co.jp/ridebus/3/

(Note that, for trains, you always buy a ticket in advance unless you have a pass, and the ticket vending machines are right in front of the ticket gate.)

Thank you all for the very useful sharing! Really helpful and appreciate