The Seoul city government raised public transportation fares Saturday by 150 won for a trip as scheduled despite concerns that they may lead to higher inflation.
Under the new scheme, bus and subway fares in the capital rose from 900 won (US$0.80) to 1,050 won. Fares for students and children, however, will remain unchanged.
Passengers who do not use transit cards should pay 1,150 won for a single journey.
The move came despite the central government's opposition that the fare hike could put additional pressure on inflation, which hit 4 percent last year.
"About 180 monitors have been assigned to check for inconveniences, but so far there doesn't seem to be any problems," said a city official. "Fare hikes have been discussed for a long time already, and Seoul was the last city to raise fares, so I think citizens are accepting the change rather well."
It is the first time in nearly five years that the city has increased its public transportation fees. Since 2007, the city's cumulative deficit from low public transportation fares has reached 3.51 trillion won, officials said. (Yonhap)