Seoul Will Launch An Integrated Transportation Ticket Next Year: Enough One Card For Train Access To Bikes

Illustration of the subway in Seoul. (Wikimedia Commons/Let's Learn)

JAKARTA - The Seoul City Government, South Korea will launch a monthly transit ticket that includes all transportation services next year, offering unlimited access to subway services, buses and sharing bicycles at a fixed price of 65,000 won.

Named Climate Card, it is aimed at helping ease the increase in living expenses and encouraging the use of public transport so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, city officials said.

The Climate Card will be available for purchase from the second half of 2024, after operational trials from January to May.

The rechargeable cards will be available in plastic card format and mobile apps, giving users unlimited access to all subway lines and bus routes across the capital, as well as Ddareungi bicycle sharing services in the city for one month.

All subway lines in Seoul, including Line 1 to Line 9, the Gyeongui trackbulg and Bintang, will be covered by the Climate Card, except for the Shinbung Line that connects the southern part of Seoul to Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province, and has a higher tariff system.

Transit cards will also be available for use on in-city buses and other buses with shorter routes in the city.

Not only that, the city plans to further expand the coverage of transit cards to commercial water bus services, which Seoul plans to launch along the Han River in the second half of next year.

The City Government hopes that the transit permit plan can help ease the financial burden on the community due to soaring cost of living, especially in the midst of rising energy prices and increasing bus and subway rates.

The base fee for the subway service in Seoul is planned to rise by 150 won next month from the current 1,250 won, the first increase in eight years.

The new plan is also expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32,000 tons each year, by encouraging the public to choose public transportation. Currently, 17 percent, or 7.6 million tons, of Seoul's total greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation, city officials said.

The city government added that the financial benefits of this new transit permit plan could reach 340,000 won per person per year, if the costs that must be saved when switching from vehicle driving to public transportation, for travel on weekdays and roads on weekends are also taken into account.