Paper Subway Tickets to Disappear in May
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Paper subway tickets in the Seoul Metropolitan area ― including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon ― will be replaced with transportation cards from May.
``The card system will cut the expenses of printing paper tickets. It will also help boost management efficiency with the curtailment of station workers,'' said Kim Kyung-ho of Seoul City.
According to the city, the card is reusable after retrieval and will save 3 billion won per year, with the cost of making 450 million paper tickets said to be 6.8 won each.
Passengers can buy the card at subway station vending machines with an additional 500-won deposit. After leaving the subway, the deposit will be returned after the card is inserted back into the machine. Refunds can also be made after the day of use. The cards must go through the process of issuance and refund, therefore can't be reused right away.
Additionally, they can't be used on buses or taxis and if they are lost or damaged the deposit won't be refunded.
Those who are eligible for free rides can pick up a card with a 500-won deposit or a complimentary multi-use traffic card from the city.
In order to minimize confusion, the city will use both paper tickets and traffic cards in the beginning. However, for the new subway line 9 and Incheon line 1, only the transportation card will be accepted.