Gyeongbuk Province to Offer Free City Bus Rides for Seniors Aged 70 and Over Starting 2025... Councilor Lee Sun-hee Proposes Ordinance

Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Member Lee Sun-hee.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] More than 710,000 people aged 70 and over, people with disabilities, and national veterans living in the Gyeongbuk region will be able to ride city buses for free starting January 2025.

On the 29th, Lee Sun-hee (People Power Party, Cheongdo), a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, introduced the “Gyeongsangbuk-do Ordinance on Supporting Public Transportation Use for the Elderly, etc.”, which provides free city bus fares for the elderly, people with disabilities, and national veterans.

This ordinance is expected to pass at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council plenary session on December 2 after review by the standing committee.

The ordinance points out that “the elderly, people with disabilities, and national veterans can receive free or discounted benefits when using public transportation such as subways in the metropolitan area according to respective laws, but in rural and fishing villages, they have experienced great inconvenience due to the lack of any benefits,” and emphasizes that “a system should be established to allow free use of city buses, which are public transportation means, in the Gyeongbuk region as well.”

Based on this ordinance, Gyeongbuk Province stated that it is promoting a plan to allow about 414,000 elderly people aged 70 and over, about 247,000 people with disabilities, and about 52,000 national veterans, totaling approximately 710,000 people living in the Gyeongbuk region, to use city buses for free.

Gyeongbuk Province said, “This project requires an annual budget of 36 billion KRW. Also, since system construction and pilot area operation are needed due to free use, free city bus use will be possible starting January 2025.”

In the Gyeongbuk region, elderly people aged 70 and over, people with disabilities, and national veterans currently pay an average of 1,350 KRW to use city buses.

Chungnam Province currently allows elderly people aged 70 and over, people with disabilities, and national veterans to use city buses for free through ordinance enactment, and Gwangju City is known to provide free city bus use to the elderly by supporting them financially.

Lee Sun-hee, a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, emphasized, “By strengthening support for the use of public transportation for the elderly, people with disabilities, and national veterans through this ordinance, we can reduce economic burdens, promote mobility rights, and further realize inclusive transportation welfare unique to Gyeongbuk Province.”

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