In Busan, Monthly Public Transportation Costs Capped at 45,000 Won, No Matter How Much You Ride

Busan Surpasses 800,000 Dongbaek Pass Subscribers as of January

Dongbaek Pass and K-Pass Integration to Expand Citizen Benefits

Unlimited Busan Public Transportation for 45,000 Won per Month Starting in April

No matter how frequently you use city buses and subways in Busan, your monthly public transportation costs will not exceed 45,000 won.

Busan City is establishing a system that effectively allows unlimited use of city public transportation for a monthly fee of 45,000 won by integrating public transportation fare reimbursement programs.

On March 4, Busan City announced that starting in April, it plans to revamp its system so that Busan residents can enjoy unlimited public transportation for 45,000 won per month. This will be achieved by improving and integrating the national “K-Pass” (a public transportation reimbursement support program expanded by the Metropolitan Transportation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2024) with the city’s own “Dongbaek Pass.”

The “K-Pass,” introduced by the government in January 2024, reimburses all amounts exceeding 55,000 won in monthly public transportation expenses for standard users. The current Dongbaek Pass reimburses up to a maximum of 45,000 won for amounts spent above the 45,000 won monthly threshold on public transportation.

When the two programs are connected, users who sign up for both the Dongbaek Pass and the K-Pass will effectively be reimbursed for any amount exceeding 45,000 won spent on public transportation within Busan. Essentially, this creates a structure where unlimited use of Busan’s public transportation system is possible for just 45,000 won per month.

The Dongbaek Pass, which was first implemented nationwide in August 2023, has since expanded its services to be more user-centric, including the introduction of the Youth Dongbaek Pass in July 2024 and the Mobile Dongbaek Pass in July 2025. As of the end of January 2026, the number of subscribers stands at 813,298. In a survey conducted by the Busan Research Institute in the first half of 2025 with 1,000 users, 93% responded that they were satisfied, and the program was also found to have prompted a modal shift from private cars to public transportation.

The city has completed work discussions with the central government and is currently developing the integrated system. Once the system is established in April, existing Dongbaek Pass users can continue to use their current cards without needing to issue new ones. After enrolling in both programs, users will automatically receive reimbursement benefits based on their usage amounts when using public transportation.

The K-Pass is a program funded 50% by the national government, and through this integration, the city’s fiscal burden for the Dongbaek Pass—which has been operated entirely with city funds—will also be eased.

To inform citizens of the policy changes, Busan City held a promotional campaign on the morning of March 4 at the Seomyeon intersection, Seomyeon Station, and City Hall Station. Over 100 city officials, including Mayor Park Hyungjoon, participated in the campaign, providing information about the improvements and encouraging public transportation use. The event also included a commute to City Hall via subway.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, “The Dongbaek Pass, launched for the first time nationwide, surpassed 800,000 subscribers as of January 2026 and has become Busan's flagship transportation policy. We will continue to promote it with the goal of reaching 1 million subscribers.” He added, “As more citizens benefit from enrolling in both the Dongbaek Pass and K-Pass, we will enhance publicity to maximize citizen benefits while reducing the city’s financial burden.”

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