Rural areas left behind in gov't transportation subsidy scheme

Commuters pass a turnstile at Seoul Station, and the screen of a phone shows the K-Pass service, a refund system on transportation costs introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, May 1. Yonhap

While some parts of the nation are currently awash with unlimited transit pass schemes, rural areas still remain overlooked.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport introduced K-Pass, a nationwide transportation fare discount card offering discounts of up to 53 percent, earlier this month. It offers a 20 percent refund on transportation costs for up to 60 trips to individuals who use public transportation more than 15 times a month. Additionally, individuals aged 19 to 34 can receive a 30 percent refund.

The service is gaining traction as transportation costs become increasingly burdensome amid rising prices. From April 24 to May 7, approximately 1.2 million people applied for the K-Pass card, according to the ministry.

However, not all residents across the country can use this service. K-Pass is a joint project between the government and local governments, and only 189 out of 229 cities, counties and districts nationwide have opted to participate. Those residing in areas where local governments have not joined the project cannot utilize the service.

The 40 local governments that are not participating are mostly rural areas with populations of fewer than 100,000 such as in Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province, South Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province.

Rural residents, facing inconveniences due to inadequate public transportation infrastructure, are left out of the state-funded public transportation fare discount scheme.

Furthermore, some non-participating local governments employ a section rate system, where bus fares are proportional to the distance traveled, thus imposing additional transportation costs on residents.

The land ministry clarified that local governments with small populations and low public transportation utilization rates chose not to participate amid doubts about the project's effectiveness relative to its budget.

Meanwhile, metropolitan areas like Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province boast numerous transportation fee support systems.

In addition to the benefits of the K-Pass scheme, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Incheon Metropolitan City have introduced region-specific transportation vouchers such as the Gyeonggi Pass and I-pass respectively.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced in January the Climate Card, an unlimited transit pass that can be used in the city.

Critics argue that the K-Pass project should be implemented nationwide to bridge the gap in transportation access between regions. A recent report from the National Assembly Research Service has recommended a review of alternative support measures for non-participating local governments that are excluded from the K-Pass scheme.

The land ministry stated that the government is actively engaging in discussions with the 40 local governments regarding transportation welfare.