Commuters confused over range of new transit passes

A poster promoting Seoul's Climate Card unlimited transit pass is displayed at a bus station in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The sheer abundance of new transit card services, set to make their respective debuts this year, are confusing commuters due to difficulty in determining the differences in their coverage areas and benefits they may offer to users.

A total of four new transit passes by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gyeonggi Provincial Government, Incheon Metropolitan Government, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will be introduced respectively, aiming to alleviate the financial burden on citizens' transportation expenses.

However, concerns loom over the challenge of determining the most advantageous transit pass for individuals based on their situations. Confusion also increases because of disparities in coverage among the various passes, as many commuters frequently travel between Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon.

The Climate Card, introduced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government starting this Friday, offers access to all bus routes and subway lines in Seoul, including the city's public bike-sharing service, Ttareungyi, for a monthly fee of 65,000 won ($48.63). For those not using the bike-sharing service, the card is available for a monthly fee of 62,000 won.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also unveiled plans for a special Climate Card for youth, accessible at 58,000 won per month in the first half of this year.

However, the card's service area is limited to transportation within the city.

In contrast, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's K-pass implements a return system, offering a 20-percent refund on transportation costs, up to 60 trips, for individuals who use public transportation more than 15 times a month. People aged from 19 to 34 can also get a 30 percent refund. It can be used nationwide unlike the Climate Card.

The Gyeonggi pass, introduced by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, and Incheon's I-pass also follow a refund method similar to the K-pass, but with differences in refund benefits. These services are exclusively available to residents of Gyeonggi Province or Incheon, respectively.

The Gyeonggi Pass removes the 60-trip limit imposed by the K-pass and expands the age range for a 30 percent refund for young people from 19 to 39 years old.

I-pass also eliminates the trip limit and increases the refund benefit for seniors aged 65 or older to 30 percent.

From left, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Park Sang-woo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok pose after a press conference about transit passes set to be launched this year at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

During a press conference on Monday, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul Mayor, Gyeonggi Province Governor and Incheon Mayor agreed to enhance cooperation to ensure the effectiveness of each policy.

However, the public are finding it challenging to differentiate the various transit passes and their respective benefits.

“It is difficult to determine which pass is more beneficial, and the explanations are complicated,” said Choi Ji-won, an office worker who commutes daily from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul.

A non-regular commuter surnamed Heo, who is residing in Seoul, raised questions about the extent of coverage for Seoul's unlimited transit pass and found the system confusing.

“Most of the subway lines 1 to 9 extend to Gyeonggi Province, such as Ilsan, Bucheon, Gwangmyeong, Ansan and Suwon. It is confusing regarding the payment approach concerning the inclusivity of the transit pass,” she said.

An office worker surnamed Chae, who commutes between Incheon and Seoul, said she hopes for an integrated service rather than separate transportation cost support services, a hope shared by many members of the public.

“As an Incheon resident, I believe it would be beneficial to incorporate the Incheon area into Seoul's unlimited transit pass,” Chae said.

As she pays a monthly transportation fee of approximately 80,000 won, she expressed dissatisfaction with the I-pass system, which offers substantial refunds only to people aged over 65.

Some remain skeptical about the effectiveness of these transit pass policies.

“Lowering overall usage fees with the allocated budget instead of implementing these individual policies seems more acceptable,” said an office worker surnamed Kim, who is lives and commutes to and from work in Seoul.