Seoul City to Implement Transfer Discount Between Metropolitan Subway and Cheonan Bus on 19th... Expected to Benefit 15,000 People Daily

Following Gyeonggi and Incheon, Expansion of Public Transportation Transfer Discounts to Chungcheong Area Expected to Increase Public Transit Usage

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 17th that starting from the 19th, it will implement a transfer discount system between the metropolitan area commuter trains and Cheonan city buses to provide transportation convenience for public transit users traveling between the metropolitan area and Cheonan City.

The metropolitan area commuter train Line 1 extends beyond Pyeongtaek Station to Chungcheong Province, where nearby Chungcheong region buses operate. However, there has been no separate fare discount between Chungcheong region buses and the commuter trains, causing inconvenience as passengers had to pay fares separately when using both consecutively.

With Seoul City's new "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount," citizens traveling between the two regions are expected to use public transportation more affordably. When using the metropolitan commuter train and Cheonan city buses consecutively, the basic train fare of 1,250 KRW will be discounted, and in connection with the metropolitan area integrated transfer discount, transfers to metropolitan area buses will also receive discounts.

For example, a passenger transferring from a Cheonan city bus to the metropolitan commuter train traveling from Cheonan Station to City Hall Station (Seoul) previously had to pay 4,550 KRW (Cheonan bus 1,500 KRW, metropolitan commuter train 3,050 KRW). Going forward, the basic fare of 1,250 KRW paid upon transferring to the train will be discounted, allowing travel for only 3,300 KRW.

To receive the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount," when traveling from Cheonan to Seoul, passengers must get off the Cheonan city bus and transfer to the metropolitan commuter train within 30 minutes, or when traveling from Seoul to Cheonan, get off the metropolitan commuter train and board a Cheonan city bus within 45 minutes. The stations where the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount" applies include 12 stations: Pyeongtaek, Seonghwan, Jiksan, Dujeong, Cheonan, Bongmyeong, Ssangyong, Asan, Tangjeong, Baebang, Onyang Oncheon, and Sinchang.

Seoul City reached an agreement on the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount" with Incheon, Gyeonggi, Cheonan, and Korea Railroad Corporation on December 29 and completed preparations for the transportation card system in time for the implementation on the 19th. Since the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount" is a separate discount system from the metropolitan area integrated transfer discount system, Cheonan City will fully support the fare discount losses incurred by metropolitan area public transportation operators due to this discount through financial subsidies.

Since introducing the integrated fare system between Seoul buses and metropolitan commuter trains in 2004, Seoul City has expanded transfer discounts to Gyeonggi buses in 2007 and Incheon buses in 2009, addressing metropolitan transportation issues. This time, with the expansion into the Chungcheong region, it is expected to further advance the establishment of a public transportation-centered transportation system.

Seoul City estimates that about 15,000 people per day will reduce transportation costs due to the implementation of the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount," and it hopes that the connection of transfer systems between public transportation beyond expanding train infrastructure will further activate movement between the metropolitan area and Chungcheong regions such as Cheonan. Currently, 84% of metropolitan commuter train users in the Chungcheong region travel within the region or to nearby areas such as Gyeonggi Province, while only 14% travel to Seoul, which is a relatively low proportion. However, with the implementation of the "Cheonan-type Transfer Discount," the public transportation usage rate of citizens visiting and traveling in the Chungcheong region is expected to improve.

Baek Ho, Director of Urban Transportation, said, "The Cheonan-type Transfer Discount, which will be implemented from the 19th, will allow more citizens to enjoy transportation welfare and provide an opportunity to move more conveniently within the expanded regional living area reaching Chungcheong Province." He added, "Since the joint growth of the two cities through public transportation linkage is also anticipated, we expect this to become a model of coexistence between the metropolitan area and regional areas."

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