Last Year, Average Seoul Public Transit Fare Was 1,103 Won with 1.3 Transfers per Trip Arrival

33.4 Minutes to Arrival
Jongno Has the Highest Bus and Subway Traffic Volume

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Last year, the total number of public transportation rides in Seoul was 4.60631 billion, an increase of 45.44 million rides compared to 2018.

According to Seoul City, the average daily number of rides by transportation mode within Seoul last year was 12.36 million, with the subway being the most used at 6.01 million rides. This was followed by buses at 5.17 million rides, taxis at 1.13 million rides, and Ddareungi (Seoul’s public bike system) at 50,000 rides.

The average fare paid to reach a destination using public transportation was 1,103 KRW. On average, passengers transferred 1.3 times and took 33.4 minutes to arrive. The transportation fares (based on card payments) for adults are 1,200 KRW for regular buses and 1,250 KRW for the subway; for teenagers, 720 KRW; and for children, 450 KRW.

The cost-saving effect from public transportation fare discount programs amounted to 160,000 KRW per person annually, with transfer users benefiting by 530,000 KRW.

Examining traffic patterns by time of day, buses were most used during the morning rush hour (8?9 AM), subways and Ddareungi during the evening rush hour (6?7 PM), and taxis were most used during late-night hours (12?1 AM).

Passengers mainly used buses and subways to reach their destinations, with two transfers being the most common. Bus usage was similar during both morning and evening rush hours, whereas subway usage was higher during the evening rush hour. After work, subway stations located near commercial and cultural facilities for leisure activities saw increased usage. Except for the morning rush hour, Ddareungi usage was highest in the afternoon.

Based on Seoul’s 424 administrative neighborhoods, the highest daily traffic volumes by transportation mode were: buses and subways in Jongno-gu, Jongno 1, 2, 3, and 4-ga dong (67,518 rides/day and 153,090 rides/day respectively); taxis in Gangnam-gu, Yeoksam 1-dong (17,956 rides/day); and Ddareungi in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Yeoui-dong (1,579 rides/day).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.