Oh Se-hoon: "Climate Companion Card to Be Rechargeable with Credit Cards Starting as Early as April"

Mayor Oh to Purchase and Recharge Climate Companion Card at Seoul City Hall Station on 29th
Then Use Subway to Chungjeongno Station

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced that a system allowing the Climate Companion Card to be recharged with credit cards will be established as early as April.

On the morning of the 29th, Mayor Oh personally purchased and recharged the Climate Companion Card at City Hall Station on Subway Line 2 in Jung-gu, then boarded the subway. He said, "Many people have requested a solution to the inconvenience of having to use cash during the recharge process," adding, "If we hurry, we are exploring ways to enable recharging using credit cards starting around April."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 29th and used the Climate Companion Card to take the subway. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Since the launch of the Climate Companion Card, some citizens have expressed inconvenience because the physical card can only be recharged with cash at ticket vending machines inside subway stations. Mayor Oh explained, "Furthermore, we will do our best to introduce a credit card postpaid system so that it can be used more conveniently."

The Climate Companion Card sold more than 60,000 cards on its first day of sale, the 23rd, and about 71,000 people used the card on the first day of service, the 27th, indicating high public interest.

When asked about the initial popularity, Mayor Oh said, "Above all, citizens should not experience any inconvenience when using it," and added, "Since compatibility with Gyeonggi Province is not yet perfect, many citizens are experiencing inconvenience. We will consult with local governments in Gyeonggi Province as quickly as possible to ensure that even one more person can use it without inconvenience."

On that day, Mayor Oh boarded Line 2 at City Hall Station, got off at Chungjeongno Station, walked to the Jongkundang bus stop, and transferred to city bus number 472 to Seoul Plaza bus stop.

The Climate Companion Card, which started service on the 27th, allows unlimited use of Seoul city-licensed city and village buses, including late-night buses, and the public bicycle system "Ddareungi" for about 60,000 KRW per month.

According to Seoul City, a total of 200,752 cards were sold by 5 p.m. the day before, excluding convenience store sales on the 26th and 27th. From the first day of service on the 27th to 5 p.m. on the 28th, the number of bus and subway rides using the Climate Companion Card was approximately 197,000 bus rides and 149,000 subway rides.

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