No friction needed over the 30-day unlimited pass

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to introduce a 30-day unlimited pass for public transit including subways, buses and public bikes, at a cost of 65,000 won ($49) has hit a snag due to protests from its neighbors Gyeonggi Province and Incheon Metropolitan City. Last week, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced a new monthly transit pass called the “climate card,” benchmarked on Germany’s Deutschland-Ticket (D-Ticket) which enables passengers to use all means of public transport for just 49 euros ($52 or 69,608 won) a month.

Oh said that the monthly pass can save 500,000 Seoul citizens 340,000 won a year and reduce carbon emissions by 320,000 tons a year. Despite the benign intention, the policy has stoked controversy as it had not been sufficiently conferred with the governments of the neighboring region.

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon immediately protested the “unilateral announcement,” as “the matter was not coordinated with nearby administrations of Gyeonggi and Incheon.” Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, who is aligned to the same conservative People Power Party as the Seoul mayor, also maintained that traffic fares of the capital region should be coordinated among the stakeholders of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi.

After the controversy arose, Oh in a radio interview challenged the governments of Gyeonggi and Incheon to show their determination and capabilities, and accused Kim and Yoo of a lack of will. Oh said that he had notified them of the plan a week before the announcement, but because the plan was reported by media outlets earlier than scheduled, he had to announce the plan.

What is indisputable is that Oh dropped the plan without sufficiently coordinating with Kim and Yoo. Since 1.41 million are estimated to commute to Seoul from Gyeonggi and Incheon, according to a 2020 census report, a transit card that solely benefits Seoul residents can cause a conflict with residents of neighboring cities. The move may also collide with the so-called “K-pass” the central government is planning to introduce from next July with fare discounts ranging from 20 to 53 percent.

This July, the heads of the three regional governments discussed ways to improve traffic from the satellite cities to inner Seoul and find a location for waste storage in the region. They agreed to work together to ease the disposal of waste by the region’s 26 million residents. The cooperation between the three heads, possible candidates for the next presidency, stood out amid the never-ending bickering among rivaling political parties. Since the transit pass can undermine the alliance, Oh must proactively seek ways to share the benefits with Gyeonggi and Incheon residents.