'Boogie' Character Transportation Cards: 20,000 Free Distribution... Targeting Children Entering Elementary School This Year
Published 27 Feb.2024 09:08(KST)
Updated 04 Aug.2025 20:28(KST)
21,901 Children... Free Public Transportation Card Support
Application by 'Green Umbrella Busan Regional Headquarters', Targeting Schools... Distribution Scheduled for March
Busan City, the first among special and metropolitan cities nationwide to implement 'full free fares for children,' will distribute 20,000 'Bugi' character transportation cards free of charge to children entering elementary school this year.
Children must use transportation cards to ride public transportation for free; if paying by cash, the usual fares apply. Cash fares are 400 KRW for city buses, 700 KRW for one section of the subway, 800 KRW for two sections, and 300 KRW for village buses.
This year, 21,901 first graders are entering elementary schools within the city, and to encourage children’s habitual use of public transportation, transportation cards featuring the Bugi design will be distributed through the Green Umbrella Busan Regional Headquarters.
Mybi, the city's transportation card operator, produced 20,000 transportation cards and donated them to the Green Umbrella Busan Regional Headquarters. To make public transportation enjoyable for children, the city’s promotional character 'Bugi' was used in the card design.
The headquarters will accept applications from elementary schools and distribute the transportation cards free of charge in March only to the schools that apply. The distributed cards can be used after registering the date of birth at nearby convenience stores or via the smartphone app (Easy Recharge Station).
Elementary schools wishing to receive support can apply online, and the application period lasts until the cards are exhausted.
Since the city implemented 'full free fares for children' on October 6 last year, the volume of children’s public transportation trips has increased by 58%, the city reported.
In January this year, children’s public transportation trips reached 964,000, a significant 58% increase compared to the same month last year. By mode, city bus trips increased by 54%, village bus trips by 54%, and subway trips by 77%. During the same period, overall public transportation trips increased by 9%.
This is analyzed as the effect of the 'free fares for children' policy, implemented as part of Busan’s public transportation innovation plan ('23.3) to improve the public transportation modal share.
Jung Im-su, Director of the City Transportation Bureau, said, “We hope that the free distribution of transportation cards to children entering elementary school will provide an opportunity for them to use public transportation with joy.” He added, “We ask families and schools to help children develop and learn public transportation usage habits so that the growing generation can use public transportation more comfortably.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.