[Inside Chodong] Climate Companion Card, Now Let's Focus on 'Companionship'

The French government will introduce a transportation pass this summer that allows unlimited use of all trains except high-speed rail. The price is 49 euros per month (about 70,000 won). This is a direct price benchmark of the 49-euro flat-rate public transportation pass, the "Deutschland Ticket," implemented by the German government. French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the policy's effectiveness in an interview, saying, "I want to take Germany as a model." Having experienced and even been occupied during the First and Second World Wars, France has begun a "journey together" by sympathizing with Germany's climate policy.

Starting from the 27th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will ambitiously launch a pilot project for the "Climate Companion Card." Inspired by the "Deutschland Ticket," this card allows unlimited use of subways, buses, village buses, the public bicycle system "Ddareungi," and the Han River River Bus, which will be introduced this year, all for 65,000 won per month. For office workers facing difficult economic conditions and tighter budgets, this policy is hard to ignore. However, the Climate Companion Card faces many challenges.

The Climate Companion Card can broadly be summarized as a transportation policy for "climate" and "companionship." Although the pilot operation has not yet started, the card has already achieved some success from a climate perspective. It raised the policy goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by shifting from private car use to public transportation. The city expects that the card's introduction will reduce private car use by about 13,000 vehicles annually, thereby decreasing greenhouse gas emissions accordingly.

Following Seoul's announcement of the Climate Companion Card, Gyeonggi Province plans to launch a similar initiative called "The Gyeonggi Pass" in May this year. The government also plans to implement the "K-Pass," an expanded and enhanced version of the current Altteul Transportation Card, starting in July. The national government and other local governments share Mayor Oh's emphasis on "climate." Mayor Oh is an environmental expert. He was a founding member of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements and worked with Choi Yeol, chairman of the Environmental Foundation and a pioneer of environmental activism in Korea. He also served as an environmental committee member in the Lawyers for a Democratic Society and engaged in legislative activities on the Environment and Labor Committee during his term as a member of the 16th National Assembly.

The problem lies in "companionship." Only Incheon and Gimpo cities have declared participation in the Climate Companion Card. This has led to evaluations that the policy is effectively half-hearted. According to Statistics Korea, as of 2020, about 1.41 million people commute or attend school from Gyeonggi and Incheon to Seoul.

This controversy recalls the metropolitan area integrated transfer discount system. The transfer discount system, now taken for granted, was first proposed by Seoul in 2004. It was warmly welcomed by users, but due to differences in positions among local governments, Gyeonggi only joined in 2007, three years later. Incheon joined two years after that, in 2009, completing the current system. It took five years to create a single unified transportation fare.

The future of the Climate Companion Card must also focus on "companionship." From the climate perspective of activating public transportation to overcome the climate crisis, cooperation with Gyeonggi Province is essential. If Seoul and Gyeonggi truly empathize with overcoming the climate crisis, the policy does not necessarily have to be named "Climate Companion Card" or "The Gyeonggi Pass." Even France and Germany, once adversaries, have joined hands under a single policy. Seoul and Gyeonggi are neighbors within the same country. Who better than them to understand that creating a unified system enhances the policy's effectiveness and, consequently, improves public convenience?

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