Seoul to launch sales of unlimited transit pass next Tuesday

Social Affairs

Published: 16 Jan. 2024, 16:37 Updated: 16 Jan. 2024, 16:37

Seoul to launch sales of unlimited transit pass next Tuesday

A person taps in with a transit card to enter Seoul Station in central Seoul on Sept. 11. [NEWS1]

Seoul’s highly anticipated transit pass offering unlimited bus and subway rides in the capital will be available for purchase next Tuesday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Tuesday that the passes can be purchased online and on-site, starting four days before they become usable next Saturday.

The city government said that the so-called Climate Card is the country's first transit pass offering unlimited rides on public transportation.

Aimed at reducing pollution in the city by encouraging the public to use more public transit, the pass will be offered in two versions — a 62,000-won ($48) pass for unlimited rides on subways and buses, and a 65,000-won pass, which also covers the capital’s public bicycles, or Ttareungi.

The city government urges commuters to select the type carefully since they'll be locked into it for 30 days. Sales will begin at 7 a.m. on Jan. 23, and the passes can be used from the first bus or subway ride on Jan. 27.

However, mobile versions of the pass will initially be available for Android users on the Mobile Tmoney application. Users can use the pass by selecting the Climate Card on the main page and topping up the card through account transfer.

Physical versions of the transit pass can be purchased for 3,000 won in cash from information centers set along subway lines No. 2 to 8 in the capital. Along subway line No. 1, the cards will be sold between Seoul Station in downtown Seoul and Cheongnyangni Station in eastern Seoul. Users can top up the card only with cash via a card reload machine at subway platforms.

After topping up the card, commuters can select the start date of the transit pass within five days of the day they topped up the card to use the service for 30 days.

Top-up services for these transit passes will not be offered at convenience stores yet. However, they will be available at convenience stores on subway line No. 9 platforms and stores near the Sillim and Ui-Sinseol lines for 3,000 won by cash or credit card.

The design of Seoul's Climate Card that offers unlimited rides of subways and buses in the capital, in a photo shared by the Seoul Metropolitan Government [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

For those who purchased the 65,000-won pass that covers public bicycles, commuters can enter their climate card number in the Tmoney GO application and use unlimited bicycle service for a month.

Specific locations where these passes will be sold and topped up will be disclosed on the city government's website on Saturday.

During the trial period through June, the transit pass will only cover subways and buses in Seoul. The city government plans for the pass to include intercity buses traveling from Incheon and Gimpo starting in April.

“Given that a novel service has been developed in the country, we will exert every effort to implement this innovative transportation policy in people's lives through consistent improvement,” said Yoon Jong-jang, head of the city government’s City Transportation Office.

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