Seoul to adopt tagless payment system on subway lines 1 to 8 by late 2025

Seoul plans to implement a tagless payment system along subway lines No. 1 through 8 as early as the second half of 2025.

A person passes through a tagless gate at a subway station on Seoul's Ui-Sinseol light rail line in an undated photo provided by the city government on Monday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul plans to implement a tagless payment system along subway lines No. 1 through 8 as early as the second half of 2025.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it convened its first meeting with related agencies and companies, including subway operator Seoul Metro and transportation card provider Tmoney, to establish standards and directions for adopting the system in the capital's public transportation.

The tagless payment system eliminates the need for commuters to physically tap transportation cards on turnstiles when passing through subway gates. An overhead antenna detects Bluetooth signals from passengers’ smartphones instead, automatically completing the transaction from a mobile application downloaded to the phone.

The system was implemented at 12 stations on Seoul’s Ui-Sinseol light rail line last September. In Gyeonggi, the technology has been used on over 2,000 intercity buses since 2021. Some 950 intracity buses in Yongin and Uijeongbu also adopted the technology from April 19, according to the Gyeonggi provincial government.

The meeting on Monday aimed to resolve compatibility issues as localities are separately developing and testing the technology. For instance, commuters cannot enjoy the benefit of the transfer system, or hwanseung, when taking Gyeonggi's intercity bus and transferring to Seoul's Ui-Sinseol light rail line via tagless payment as fares are paid by different mobile applications.

The city plans to set standards for implementing the technology in the greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi and Incheon, and ultimately expand its use nationwide. The expansion of the service will also be discussed with related agencies in the greater Seoul area, the city government said.

The metropolitan government is also considering gradually introducing the technology to city buses in the first half of 2025. It completed a pilot test on a city bus last November.

"We will improve tagless technology by ensuring compatibility and enhancing its quality and make it a major public transportation service in the future,” said Yoon Jong-jang, director of the city’s transportation bureau.

“With the service expected to help vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities, we will exert every effort to implement the system swiftly in Seoul.”

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