Changwon Special City, Pilot Introduction of Contactless Fare Payment System ... Expansion to All Routes Next Year

Implementation of Major Routes Such as 5000 and 6000

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam will pilot a contactless (Tagless) fare payment system (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Tagless System’) starting from the 8th on vehicles with Tagless stickers such as numbers 5000 and 6000.

The Tagless System is a next-generation public transportation fare payment system, also called the Hi-Pass of public transportation, where fares are automatically charged upon boarding without the need to touch a transportation card terminal with a transportation card or smartphone, and the system automatically applies until the passenger alights for transfers.

After signing a business agreement in May this year, the city installed Tagless beacons and terminals on 70 city buses starting in June, and from August began quality inspections and improvements of the Tagless System, securing a high level of responsiveness and stability.

Accordingly, the city plans to install Tagless beacons and terminals on all city and village buses throughout Changwon by the end of December and fully implement the system next year.

The city aims to enhance passenger boarding and alighting convenience by applying IT (information and communication) technology to bus fare payment through the introduction of the Tagless System, thereby laying the foundation for the integrated transportation service (maas) concept. As the number of Tagless users increases, it will become easier for the city to obtain accurate departure and arrival information of passengers, which can be utilized as big data for transportation policy.

Additionally, along with the pilot introduction of the Tagless System, the bus location information, which was previously provided at 60-second intervals, will be shortened to 3-second intervals by the end of November, greatly improving the accuracy of bus arrival information with an ultra-precision bus service. From the passengers’ perspective, being able to check bus movements in real time is expected to significantly enhance convenience.

Lee Jong-deok, Director of the Transportation and Construction Bureau, stated, “The city will improve the convenience of bus users by introducing the next-generation fare payment system and establish the foundation for integrated transportation services,” adding, “We will continue to promote policies to expand public transportation convenience for Changwon citizens, such as the Tagless System and ultra-precision services.”

Meanwhile, to use the Tagless System, users must install the dedicated Tagless app on their smartphones and register prepaid or postpaid cards through Bluetooth payment settings.

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