Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, First Nationwide Full Bus Fare Free... Applied to Residents and Tourists from Next Year

City buses operating in Cheongsong-gun.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, will become the first in the nation to make city bus fares completely free. The free fare will apply not only to residents but also to tourists.

Cheongsong-gun (Governor Yoon Kyung-hee) announced on the 27th that starting January next year, it will launch a transportation welfare policy to improve public transportation convenience by offering 'free operation of rural buses.'

On the 14th, Cheongsong-gun secured the legal basis for free use of rural buses from January 2023 by passing the 'Rural Bus Free Use Support Ordinance' as originally proposed at the Cheongsong-gun Council plenary session.

The free use is available to any passenger using the 'Cheongsong Bus' regardless of age, income level, or place of residence.

With the implementation of free fares, Cheongsong residents, who have been relatively disadvantaged in using public transportation compared to metropolitan areas due to the lack of transportation options other than buses and taxis, are highly welcoming the change.

In particular, this policy is noteworthy as it is the first nationwide to expand transportation welfare projects, which have been limited to specific groups such as the transportation vulnerable in other regions, to include economically active young and middle-aged populations as well as tourists, as a measure to overcome the crisis of local extinction.

Governor Yoon Kyung-hee of Cheongsong-gun said, “We will continue to make our best efforts to enable residents to use public transportation more conveniently through policies that reflect regional characteristics.”

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