Gyeongju City Buses to Be Completely Free for Children and Teenagers Starting April 1

Ordinance Passed in Original Form by City Council

Full Fare Support Provided When Using Transportation Card

Cards Can Be Purchased and Registered at Convenience Stores

Existing Fares Apply When Paying with Cash

Starting from April 1, all fares for children and teenagers using city buses in Gyeongju will be completely free.

On March 18, Gyeongju City announced that the "Ordinance on Supporting Public Transportation Expenses for Children and Teenagers in Gyeongju City" was passed in its original form during the 296th temporary session, 2nd plenary meeting of the Gyeongju City Council.

At the Gyeongju Hwangseong Park and Municipal Library bus stops, teenagers are boarding city buses. Provided by Gyeongju City

As a result, children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 18 can use city buses in Gyeongju free of charge by using a transportation card.

This system will be implemented from April 1, and users will receive full fare support by simply continuing to use their existing children and youth transportation cards, without the need to issue a separate card.

To use the children and youth transportation card, it can be purchased at convenience stores and used after registering the date of birth.

However, if paying with cash, the existing fares (800 won for children, 1,200 won for teenagers) will still apply.

This ordinance was promoted to guarantee the mobility rights of children and teenagers and to reduce the transportation cost burden on parents.

The city also expects the policy to help stimulate the use of public transportation and improve access to education and culture.

According to Gyeongju City, as of last year, city bus usage was counted at 182,959 rides for children and 1,632,298 rides for teenagers.

As of the end of last year, the number of children and teenagers residing in Gyeongju City was 22,664.

Choi Hyukjun, acting mayor of Gyeongju, stated, "This policy to genuinely guarantee the mobility rights of children and teenagers and ease the transportation cost burden on parents has come to fruition through the city council's resolution. We will thoroughly prepare to avoid confusion at the beginning of implementation and ensure that the policy is stably established."

Lee Donghyeop, chair of the Gyeongju City Council, said, "I hope that with this free city bus policy for children and teenagers, Gyeongju citizens will be able to experience tangible transportation welfare. In particular, I ask that supplementary measures be prepared so that students in areas with low transportation accessibility, such as mountainous and remote regions, can also benefit from this policy."

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