To Save on Fares Amid the Flood of Benefits in the 'Transportation Fare Discount War'

Support Criteria, Eligibility, and Limits Vary by Transportation Card
Users Must Understand Their Public Transit Usage Patterns and Frequency

Three government and local authorities are consecutively launching integrated public transportation passes to reduce public transportation costs. Seoul City will introduce the 'Climate Companion Card' starting on the 27th, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will apply the 'K-Pass' from May. Gyeonggi Province and Incheon City are promoting the 'The Gyeonggi Pass' and 'Incheon I-Pass' projects, respectively, aiming for a May launch. Since the support criteria, target groups, limits, and refund benefits vary by transportation mode and region among these public transportation support programs, it is advisable to choose based on one's own public transportation usage patterns to maximize benefits.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is speaking at the joint briefing session on public transportation passes such as the Climate Companion Card, K-Pass, The Gyeonggi Pass, and I-Pass held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. The briefing was attended by Park Sang-woo, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Seoul City Climate Companion Card…①Travel within Seoul ②Users of Ddareungi

The Climate Companion Card is a fixed-rate pass costing around 60,000 KRW per month that allows unlimited use of Seoul City subways, buses, and Ddareungi (Seoul’s public bike-sharing system) for 30 days. The price is divided into 62,000 KRW and 65,000 KRW depending on whether the user utilizes Ddareungi. The usage area is limited to Seoul City. The Shinbundang Line, subways outside Seoul, metropolitan and airport buses, and buses licensed in other regions cannot be used. For example, if you start on a Seoul subway and arrive at a subway station in Gyeonggi Province, an additional fare will be charged.

In the future, youths are expected to enjoy greater benefits than the general public. Seoul City plans to introduce a Climate Companion Card priced around 58,000 KRW for youths aged 19 to 34 within the first half of the year. Additionally, from April, connections with Incheon and Gimpo metropolitan buses and the Gimpo Gold Line are being pursued.

The Climate Companion Card will be fully operational from the first train on the 27th. The pilot project period runs until June 30.

Nationwide Integrated Transfer Discount K-Pass…Highly Versatile but Limited to '60 Uses per Month'

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s K-Pass is a transportation card that refunds a certain percentage of expenses (20% for general users, 30% for ages 19-34, 53% for low-income groups) the following month if the user regularly uses public transportation such as city buses and subways at least 15 times per month. The maximum number of supported rides is 60 per month. For example, if you pay 1,500 KRW for a subway ride, a general user would receive a refund of 18,000 KRW, which is 20% of 90,000 KRW (1,500 KRW × 60 rides) per month.

Unlike the Climate Companion Card, which excludes metropolitan buses and the Shinbundang Line, the K-Pass includes village buses and rural buses, subways, city buses, the Shinbundang Line, metropolitan buses, and the GTX (Great Train Express) which opened in March this year.

The Gyeonggi Pass & I-Pass…Expanded Eligibility and Unlimited Support Uses

The Gyeonggi Pass and I-Pass have the same support criteria and methods as the K-Pass but extend eligibility to ages 19 to 39. The support limit has been expanded from 60 uses per month under the K-Pass to unlimited. Both passes include all nationwide public transportation modes such as metropolitan buses, the Shinbundang Line, and GTX.

Children and adolescents under 18, who cannot use the K-Pass, also receive transportation cost support benefits. Gyeonggi Province plans to restructure its existing youth transportation support program to include children aged 6 and above, providing transportation cost support up to an annual limit of 240,000 KRW. Incheon City plans to increase the refund rate for those aged 65 and older by 30%, gradually raising it up to 50%. Children and adolescents will receive up to 120,000 KRW annually.

How to Maximize the Use of Public Transportation Cost Support?

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

To maximize the use of public transportation cost support, you should first understand your own public transportation usage patterns and frequency. Although the Climate Companion Card offers unlimited use, if you do not use buses more than 42 times per month or subways more than 45 times per month, you will not see cost-saving effects. There is also a way to increase benefits by using the Climate Companion Card together with the three passes. For example, use the Climate Companion Card when traveling within Seoul, and use the K-Pass or The Gyeonggi Pass and I-Pass when boarding metropolitan buses, GTX, or the Shinbundang Line.

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