'Climate card' to allow unlimited public transportation rides in Seoul

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the so-called “climate card” will be offered to residents in the second half of next year, allowing unlimited use of subways, buses and the city’s public bicycles called Ttareungi within the capital.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon introduces the so-called "climate card" that will allow unlimited use of subways, buses and public bicycles in the city during a press briefing at Seoul City Hall on Monday. The climate card will cost 65,000 won ($48) per month and will be officially introduced to the public in the latter half of next year after a trial period from January to May. [NEWS1]

Unlimited transit passes will be available in Seoul starting next year.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday, the so-called “climate card” will be offered to residents in the second half of next year, allowing unlimited use of subways, buses and the city’s public bicycles called Ttareungi within the capital.

“The climate card will be a new paradigm in the transportation system in the city, a part of the city’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during a press briefing at Seoul City Hall on Monday, stressing that transportation accounts for a major share of the city’s carbon footprint.

The metropolitan government expects that the introduction of these climate cards will reduce the use of around 13,000 cars in the city a year, cutting greenhouse gases by 32,000 tons.

Climate cards will cost 65,000 won ($48) a month, potentially saving commuters over 340,000 won in transportation fees a year.

The cards are an upgraded version of the city’s current monthly commuter passes which are limited to a maximum of 60 rides per month at a price of 55,000 won.

The scheme will go through a trial period from January to May and be officially introduced to the public as early as July.

These cards can be used when commuting along subway lines in all areas of Seoul, including subway lines No. 1 to 9, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Bundang Line, Gyeongchun Line, Ui-Sinseol Line and Sillim Line.

But Shinbundang Line will be excluded due to its different pricing system.

As the city government is still in discussion with its neighbor governments of Gyeonggi and Incheon, passengers will only be able to use the cards when getting on transportation at subway stations and bus stops in Seoul.

Anyone who is departing from within Seoul will be able to use the card even when traveling through Gyeonggi and Incheon, according to the city government.

However, the service will be unavailable for passengers departing from areas outside of Seoul even if they are traveling to the capital.

For buses, passengers will be able to use the card for both city and village buses, but not inter-city buses.

Climate card purchasers will also benefit from unlimited 1-hour passes when using the city’s public bicycle service, or Ttaereungi.

Use of the card will be expanded to so-called river buses in the future, a water bus system that the metropolitan government plans to operate along the Han River in September next year.

The city government hopes the climate card will motivate people who commute by car to switch to public transportation amid dwindling public transportation usage since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The percentage of people using public transportation dropped from 65.6 percent of all transportation modes in 2019 to 61.4 percent in 2020 and 52.9 percent in 2021, according to the city government.

In Germany, around a million passengers ditched their cars and began using public transportation after adopting a similar system called Deutschlandticket, or the D-Ticket, in May.

The D-Ticket allows passengers to use buses and local or regional trains as much as they like for just 49 euros ($53) a month.

Seoul’s climate card will be available in the form of both a mobile application and a physical card which users will need to top up every month.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]