When traveling abroad, you often encounter public transportation in that country.

What I feel every time is the excellence of our public transportation.

I am not saying this in terms of the so-called 'Gukppong', but it is really true.

Not to mention the automobile kingdom of the United States, Japan, which has a well-developed public transportation system, is also different from Korea.

Especially when it comes to transfers, some subway stations do not have transfer passageways, so to transfer, you have to go out and buy a ticket again to enter.

It is not a small inconvenience to Koreans who take it for granted that they even get a discount on the subway-bus transfer.


Introduced subway-bus integrated commuter pass next year

Our public transportation is so convenient, but that doesn't mean it's not without its drawbacks.

It's a commuter pass.

Commuter passes are advantageous for users because they have discounts, but currently they can only be used on subways in some areas, such as the metropolitan area and Incheon.

Of course, the bus transfer discount does not apply.

Therefore, there is a limit to not being able to receive discounts unless you are a resident of a station area that mainly uses the subway.



To solve this problem, the government has decided to promote the 'subway commuter pass bus transfer discount'.

The purpose is to relieve the burden on young people and ordinary people who mainly use public transportation.

The key is the introduction of the 'Unified subway/bus commuter pass'.

The government said that it is closely reviewing the introduction plan with specialized research institutes so that people can use the integrated commuter pass more conveniently and at a cheaper price.



The goal is to introduce a combined subway and bus commuter pass next year after consulting with local governments and transportation agencies in metropolitan areas nationwide in charge of public transportation such as subways and buses.

When the integrated commuter pass is introduced, other users who transfer subway and bus in addition to the existing subway station area residents will receive a discount.



Enlarging an image

How much is the commuter pass discount?

The most curious thing is how much the discount benefit is.

Let's take an example.

Assuming that the 10km section from the metropolitan area travels 60 times, it costs about 75,000 won based on the current subway and bus fares.

In addition, the 30km section of the metropolitan area will receive a 37.7% discount from 99,000 won to 61,700 won.

However, this is an estimate and the exact discount amount may vary depending on the results of a review by a specialized agency.



As social distancing is lifted, people are moving more and more.

Especially in spring, the floating population is expected to increase even more.

Due to the Ukraine crisis, gasoline and diesel prices have risen all at once, so it's almost intimidating to drive a car.

I don't know if I'm more welcome because it's a measure that came out at a time like this.

It is difficult to see the benefits immediately since the introduction is next year, but I hope that the burden on households will be eased from next year.

I look forward to the fact that it was decided to introduce it to reduce transportation costs for young people and ordinary people.