By Kim Se-jeong
Seventeen subway operators in major cities across the country are joining forces to change the age for free rides from the current 65 to 70 years or older.
They claim free rides for the elderly are the main cause for their losses and the situation will get worse with the aged population growing.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp. (SMRT), Thursday, representatives from the 17 operators vowed to act together to pressure the central government to raise the minimum age in a meeting on Oct. 7.
The coalition wants the minimum age to be 70 years old, and also demands even those above 70 should pay half fare.
They will meet again in December and complete their proposal.
In the case of the SMRT, which operates lines Nos. 5 through 8, among its total loss of 271 billion won last year, 126 billion won was caused by free rides for the elderly.
According to statistics, 16.4 out of 100 passengers are 65 years and older in Seoul. The number of people in this group will grow more as the society ages.
“This eventually means a loss to the quality of service for all passengers,” a SMRT official said. “We have many old trains and facilities that need to be renovated or replaced. But because of our financial losses, we cannot even imagine doing this. We need to recover the loss somehow.”
The official also complained that the Korea Railway Corp. (KORAIL), which operates parts of subway line No. 1, receives subsidies from the central government according to the railroad law, while other subway operators run by municipalities or private companies do not receive this kind of support.
“Why just for KORAIL? We think this is unfair,” he said.
The central government is aware of their financial losses, but is reluctant to accommodate their requests because the free ride is an important pillar of the government’s welfare policy for the elderly.
Politicians are also reluctant to pressure the government to raise the minimum age because they don’t want to lose votes.
To raise the minimum age for the free rides, it requires change of another law that defines the elderly population as those 65 years old and above. “We are considering taking the issue to the Constitutional Court,” another SMRT official said.
People older than 65 want the free rides to continue, while opinion varies among other age groups.
Those who support generous welfare benefits support the program. “Don’t forget we’re all getting old, and it’s tough to live in Korea as an old man,” someone wrote on a portal site.
But opponents argue that benefits are already enough. “This is too much welfare for them. This spoils them. Look at what happened last week on a subway train, where a 70-year-old passenger attacked a pregnant woman who was sitting in the elderly section,” another said.