Climate Companion Card Becomes O Se-hoon's Hit Product... The Secret to Its Popularity Is "The More You Use, The More You Save"

Oh Se-hoon "The More You Use, The More You Save"
"Credit Card Recharge Available from April"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated on the 1st that the Climate Companion Card, an unlimited public transportation pass in Seoul, has become an "Oh Se-hoon signature hit product" because "it is a policy product that offers greater discounts to those who use it more."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Photo by Asia Economy DB

In an interview with KBS1 Radio's 'Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeongyeok Sisa' on the morning of the same day, Mayor Oh said about the sales status of the Climate Companion Card, "We initially prepared 200,000 physical cards, but they all sold out. We are urgently producing 150,000 more. Downloading via the mobile app is currently available."

With a public transportation fare increase expected in the second half of the year, he explained that this policy product helps consumers save more the more they use it and also benefits the environment by reducing private car use. Mayor Oh said, "I expect it to play a significant role in transportation welfare," adding, "We raised public transportation fares significantly last year due to rising costs, and I felt truly sorry for those who are financially strained. That’s why we devised a policy that allows greater savings for heavier users."

Starting in April, credit card charging and postpaid methods, which were inconvenient aspects of the Climate Companion Card, will be available. He said, "The biggest inconvenience for citizens who have used it is that physical cards can only be recharged with cash," and added, "We have urgently started consultations with financial institutions, and from April, charging via credit card or using a credit card postpaid system will be implemented, making it much more convenient."

He also mentioned that discussions are underway with Gyeonggi Province to allow residents commuting to and from Gyeonggi to use the Climate Companion Card, and that Seoul plans to accelerate consultations with individual basic local governments for participation by cities in Gyeonggi Province. Seoul signed a business agreement for participation in the Climate Companion Card with Gunpo City the day before. This is the third local government to join after Incheon and Gimpo.

The Climate Companion Card is an unlimited pass costing around 60,000 KRW per month that allows unlimited rides on Seoul’s subways, buses, and public bicycles called Ddareungi. Since its launch on the 23rd of last month with two types of passes priced at 62,000 KRW (subway + bus) and 65,000 KRW (subway + bus + Ddareungi), 200,000 cards were sold in the first three days, gaining great popularity.

As of the 30th of last month, Seoul City announced that the cumulative sales of the Climate Companion Card reached approximately 278,000 cards. By type, 104,118 were mobile cards and 173,957 were physical cards. The city initially prepared 200,000 physical cards (including 100,000 reserves), but due to higher-than-expected popularity, the prepared stock was depleted, and an additional 150,000 cards are being produced. Additional supplies will be distributed sequentially starting from the 7th of next month.

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