Starting Next Month, Seoul City Bus Fare Set at 1,500 Won... Subway Fare to Be 1,400 Won from October

Seoul City Raises Public Transportation Fares for the First Time in 8 Years
Subway Fare to Increase by 150 Won Next Year

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will raise subway fares by 150 won in October and bus fares by 300 won next month. An additional 150 won increase in subway fares is planned for next year.

Photo by Yonhap News

On the 12th, Seoul announced that the public transportation fare adjustment plan containing these details has passed the review of the Seoul Price Countermeasure Committee.

According to the results of this Price Countermeasure Committee review, once Seoul determines the level of public transportation fares and notifies the transportation operators, the operators will report the fares within that range. After Seoul’s final approval, bus fares will be raised next month, and subway fares in October.

Initially, Seoul considered raising both city bus and subway fares by 300 won. However, after comprehensively considering the economic situation of low-income citizens, cooperative alignment with government price policies, and consultations with other agencies such as Incheon and Gyeonggi, it was decided to raise subway fares by only 150 won this year within the 300 won limit, with the remaining 150 won to be increased one year later.

Seoul bus fares will be increased starting from the first bus on the 12th of next month, and for buses operating during late-night hours, the increased fares will apply from 3 a.m. on the same day.

The basic bus fares, based on card payments, will be adjusted as follows: local and branch lines by 300 won (1,200 won → 1,500 won), circular and differential lines by 300 won (1,100 won → 1,400 won), metropolitan lines by 700 won (2,300 won → 3,000 won), late-night lines by 350 won (2,150 won → 2,500 won), and village lines by 300 won (900 won → 1,200 won).

For the subway, the final agreement on the timing of the fare increase will be made with other operating agencies such as Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Korail, with the increase planned to take effect from the first train on October 7. Even after the fare increase, subway passes purchased before the adjustment will remain valid until their expiration date (within 30 days from the purchase date, for 60 rides).

The basic subway fare will be sequentially adjusted within the 300 won increase limit: 150 won in 2023 (1,250 won → 1,400 won) and 150 won in 2024 (1,400 won → 1,550 won), based on card payments.

Earlier, Seoul held a public hearing on February 10 and gathered opinions from various sectors through the Seoul Metropolitan Council on March 10 regarding the public transportation fare adjustment plan.

With this review, the fare adjustment has been finalized after 8 years and 1 month since the last increase in June 2015. Additionally, only the basic fares for both buses and subways will be adjusted, while additional distance-based fares applied to the metropolitan integrated transfer system and subway distance fares will be frozen.

Furthermore, youth and children’s fares will be adjusted by applying the current discount rates to the adjusted general fares. Cash bus fares will be aligned with card fares or frozen to minimize the increase.

Currently, the usage rate of bus transportation cards is 99%, and as the number of ‘cashless bus operation’ routes gradually expands, the fare adjustment will either align card and cash fares or freeze cash fares to eliminate additional fare burdens on cash users.

Additionally, early morning discounts (20%) and subway pass fares will be adjusted in linkage by applying the current discount rates to the adjusted basic fares.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Transportation Office, said, "We regret having to raise fares amid ongoing high inflation, but we will strive to provide safe and convenient public transportation services that exceed the additional costs paid by citizens."

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