Seoul to launch its unlimited monthly transit pass next month

Seoul will launch an unlimited monthly transit pass, known as the Climate Card, on a pilot basis next month. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on December 19 that the card will be available for use from January 27 next year. Card holders can have unlimited access to subways, buses, and Ddareungi, the city’s bicycle-sharing service, in Seoul at a cost of 65,000 won per month. Those who purchase the 62,000 won transit pass have access to the city’s subways and buses only. It can also be used from the day of launch in the subway lines managed by the Korea Railroad Corporation, but it will be available for Incheon and Gimpo Metropolitan Buses in Gyeonggi Province and the Gimpo Goldline light metro from next April. It will be available for local buses and light metro near Seoul from July next year when the project officially starts, and for Han River Buses from next September. It is not a one-size-fits-all card for the public transportation in the entire metropolitan area, so confusion is inevitable at the beginning of the launch.

The Climate Card is an integrated public transportation pass which was designed to reduce the burden of transportation costs and cope with the climate crisis. This is the first public transportation pass in Korea, benchmarking the transportation pass in Germany which costs 49 euros (around 69,000 won) per month.

The Climate Card provides unlimited rides on all subway lines in Seoul, including Subway Lines No.1 to 9, Sillim Line, Ui-Sinseol Line, Suin–Bundang Line, Gyeongchun Line, Gyeongui–Jungang Line, and Airport Lines between Seoul Station and Gimpo International Airport.

It is also available for unlimited use on city and village buses licensed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. However, people cannot use the cards when taking buses licensed by other regions, including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, and metropolitan buses, late-night buses, and subway Shinbundang Line which have a different fare system, even if they are in operation in the area of Seoul.

There are two types of plans. It is advantageous to use a pass which costs 62,000 won per month for those who take subways or buses without using Ddareungi, and it is more advantageous to use a pass which costs 65,000 won per month for those who take Ddareungi more often. Yoon Jong-jang, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Transportation Division, said, "We set the fare based on 40 round-trip fares of 1,500 won (1,300 U.S. dollars) on the premise that people commute to and from work for 20days a month. And we included Ddareungi's unlimited ride fee of 3,000 won, which is cheaper than its monthly pass of 5,000 won.”

The sale of the card will begin on January 23 next year. A mobile card can be used after downloading the Mobile T-Money application on a smartphone with the Android operating system.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.