'We take the subway for work too': Korean seniors frustrated by talk of rush hour transit limits

Elderly passengers passes through a turnstile at Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul. Yonhap

Early one morning at Guui and Sindang stations on Seoul Subway Line 2, older passengers streamed through the turnstiles. They were not traveling for leisure. They were heading to low-wage shifts as cleaners, security guards and short-term office workers.

Those working seniors are pushing back against remarks by President Lee Jae Myung, who recently suggested reviewing a possible limit on senior citizens’ free subway rides during peak commuting hours. Lee floated the idea as part of efforts to ease rush hour congestion, saying seniors who are not working might consider refraining from travel at those times.

For many older commuters, the remarks struck a nerve. They say the proposal paints seniors as idle and unproductive, ignoring the growing number who rely on early-morning subway rides to earn a living.

“If they tell me not to use it in the morning, I can’t do my part-time job,” said Park, 72, who commutes by subway six days a week for clerical work.

Kim, 84, who leaves home each day for a 7 a.m. cleaning shift, echoed the frustration. “Just because we’re old doesn’t mean we’re all doing nothing,” he said.

Another commuter, Park, 71, who travels daily to a real estate office, said calls to avoid rush hour show little understanding of seniors’ working realities.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, March 24. Yonhap

Lee has instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to prepare measures to reduce rush hour crowding. A presidential office official said those measures could include revisions to the free transit policy for seniors.

Growing reliance on public transportation

The controversy is unfolding amid broader pressures on the transit system. High oil prices, linked in part to the Iran conflict, have pushed more commuters away from private cars and onto public transportation, worsening congestion during peak hours.

Seoul Metro has also drawn criticism after saying senior free rides increased 50 percent over the past five years while its accumulated operating losses reached 20 trillion won (about $13.3 billion). Many seniors say the figures unfairly frame them as the cause of the system’s financial strain.

Commuters crowd a subway station in Seoul, March 17, amid surging oil prices driven by the Middle East conflict. Yonhap

The operator’s own data complicates that narrative. An analysis of ridership on subway Lines 1 through 9 shows seniors made up 9.7 percent of passengers between 7 and 8 a.m., compared with 25.8 percent between 11 a.m. and noon, suggesting most senior travel occurs outside peak commuting hours.

“Isn’t the real reason rush hour congestion worsened that more people are using public transportation instead of cars because of high oil prices?” said Jeong Myeong-ju, 75, a rider on Line 5. “Using seniors to justify system changes makes no sense.”

Gas and diesel prices are displayed at a gas station in Seoul, Thursay, amid rising international oil prices. Yonhap

Ko Hyun-jong, chair of the Senior Union, warned that time-based restrictions could push senior activities into noncommuting hours, effectively limiting when older adults can work or participate in society.

Still, views among seniors are not uniform. Han Myeong-hee, 67, a resident of Dongjak District, said she would consider paying fares during rush hour.

“With people working later in life, adjusting the system to match that reality is also necessary,” added Kim Seung-hee, 70, of Nowon District.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.