Chungnam to Gradually Implement Free Bus Service for Children and Adolescents

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province will gradually allow local children and adolescents to use buses for free starting next year.

On the 27th, at the ‘21st Chungnam Local Government Meeting,’ the province and 15 cities and counties within the area announced that they signed a business agreement to provide free bus fares for children and adolescents.

The free bus service targets 261,804 local children and adolescents aged 18 and under. The province plans to gradually expand the eligible age groups, starting with ages 6 to 12 next year, ages 13 to 15 in 2023, and ages 16 to 18 in 2024.

The total estimated budget for the free bus service is 14.55 billion KRW, and when combined with the existing budget for free bus rides for seniors aged 75 and older, the province anticipates an annual total budget requirement of 44.35 billion KRW.

The budget needed to operate the free bus service will be shared equally between the province and the cities and counties.

Yang Seung-jo, Governor of Chungnam Province, said, “In 2019, Chungnam became the first in the nation to allow seniors aged 75 and older to use buses for free. Building on this, starting next year, we plan to begin a new chapter in transportation welfare by gradually allowing local children and adolescents to use buses for free.”

He added, “Free bus rides for children and adolescents guarantee mobility rights for transportation-vulnerable groups and help improve quality of life, serving as a shortcut to a ‘Happier Chungnam.’ We will focus administrative efforts to ensure the free bus fare project proceeds without any setbacks.”

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