70% of Citizens Say "The Government Should Cover Fare Evasion Costs for Subway Safety"

Survey Results on 'Legislation for National Subsidies for Public Service' Among 1,000 People in 6 Subway Lines Nationwide
"The State Should Cover More Than Half of Fare-Free Costs" 70.7%
'Abolition of Fare-Free Ride System' at 22%... Strong Voices for Maintenance and Change

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seven out of ten Koreans believe that the government should bear more than half of the costs incurred from free subway rides.

Seoul Metro and five other urban railway operators nationwide conducted a public opinion survey last month targeting 1,000 adults aged 18 and over across the country regarding the "Legislation for National Subsidies on Public Service." The results were released on the 3rd.

When asked if they were familiar with the free ride system, 80.6% of respondents answered that they "somewhat know" or "know in detail" about the urban railway free ride system. However, only 40.7% correctly identified the "urban railway operators" as the actual party bearing the cost of free rides.

By age group, those 65 and older, who are the direct beneficiaries of free rides, showed the highest awareness at 92.0%, while the 18-29 age group had the lowest at 52.8%.

Among respondents familiar with the free ride system, when asked about the ideal cost-sharing model, 46.8% chose "Government (50%) + Local Government (50%)," and 23.9% selected "Government (100%)," indicating that 70.7% believe the government should cover more than half of the costs.

In a survey identifying the main causes of financial deterioration for urban railway operators, 47.2% of respondents cited the "free ride system," the highest proportion.

Regarding how operators should secure the massive funds needed to improve aging subway facilities, 40.3% responded that "the government should cover the costs," the highest percentage. This was followed by local government subsidies at 35.1%, fare adjustments (increases) at 14.1%, and only 9.6% believed that the current system of "operators securing funds independently" is desirable.

When asked if they were aware that Korail currently receives partial compensation from the government for free ride costs, 79.4% of respondents said they "did not know or heard about it for the first time."

Regarding whether urban railway operators, like Korail, need cost compensation, the majority supported "equal support for both sides" (72.6%) or "priority support for urban railways" (17.9%).

When asked if changes to the free ride system are necessary, only 22.3% responded that it "should be abolished," while the rest favored "maintaining it" (30.0%) or "calling for changes to the current system" (46.3%).

Kim Sang-beom, CEO of Seoul Metro, said, "The results of this survey suggest that it is no longer appropriate for subway operators to bear all the costs required for free rides," adding, "We hope the government will show a progressive stance on bearing the costs of free rides."

Meanwhile, labor and management of the six urban railway operators will jointly hold a public forum on "Legislation for National Subsidies on Urban Railway Public Service Losses" on the 4th at 2 p.m. at the National Assembly, together with Democratic Party lawmaker Jo O-seop, Justice Party lawmaker Lee Eun-joo, and civic groups. The forum will also be available for live viewing on YouTube.

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