The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) and Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) are currently implementing various public transportation assistance programs with the intention of addressing climate change through the revitalization of public transportation. SMG's Climate Card project has been conducting its pilot program since January 27, and the K-Pass by the MOLIT has been in operation since May 1.

Introducing Climate Card and K-pass

The Climate Card is a rechargeable monthly transit pass that allows unlimited access to public transport systems in Seoul. Last September, SMG announced plans to implement the Climate Card project in 2024 as part of its public transportation assistance program. Accordingly, SMG has been conducting the Climate Card pilot program since January 27 of this year. The Climate Card can be obtained in the form of a Galaxy smartphone application or a physical card. It is easily purchasable not only for Koreans but also for foreigners. The price is 65,000 won per month, including the Seoul's public bicycle sharing service, Ttareungi, and 62,000 won per month excluding Ttareungi. SMG announced that starting from July, when the full-scale operation begins, additional benefits will be provided for young users aged 19 to 34. They will be able to use the card at a discounted price of 58,000 won per month with Ttareungi included, and 55,000 won per month without Ttareungi.

The K-pass, officially launched on May 1, is a post-refund program where users can receive a partial refund of the fare the following month if they use public transportation at least 15 times a month, with the maximum of 60 times. The MOLIT announced last August that it plans to implement the K-pass as a successor to the Altteul Transport Card project. The refund rates vary depending on age and income criteria. For regular adults, the refund rate is 20%, for young people aged 19 to 34, it is 30%, and for low-income individuals, it is 53%. K-pass has the advantage of being available nationwide, except for some areas with populations of less than 100,000. For foreigners residing in Korea, it is available once their residency is verified.

Benefits of Climate Card and K-pass

Both the Climate Card and K-pass provide monetary benefits to people using public transportation. Users should choose the program that benefits them the most based on their frequency of public transportation use and commuting area. The Climate Card has a disadvantage for those who do not spend more than the monthly fee on public transportation expenses. Specifically, considering that the basic fare for public transportation is 1,400 won, individuals who pay 62,000 won, excluding the cost of using Ttareungi, would need to use public transportation at least 45 times a month to benefit. When the Climate Card discount for youth is applied, assuming a fee of 55,000 won excluding Ttareungi, individuals must use public transportation more than 40 times a month to gain advantage. On the other hand, the K-pass benefits individuals who use public transportation more than 15 times a month. Therefore, it provides an option for those who do not frequently use transportation without any burden. Taking these factors into account, it is important to determine the monthly frequency of using public transportation and choose the appropriate program.

Where users primarily utilize transportation is also an important aspect to take into account. Currently, the Climate Card is only usable on public transportation in the Seoul area and the transportation connecting Seoul to Gimpo, so users mainly using transportation outside Seoul do not receive significant benefit. Furthermore, since the Climate Card cannot be used on the privately operated Shinbundang Line, those who mostly use this line also do not receive significant benefit. On the other hand, the K-pass functions nationwide, targeting cities with populations of over 100,000, and is also usable on the Shinbundang Line. Therefore, those primarily utilizing transportation outside of Seoul or using the Shinbundang Line should consider this option.

Students' Preferences and Outlook on the Climate Card and K-pass

The Climate Card recorded sales of 460,000 units within a month of its release and surpassed accumulated sales of a million units as of April. The usage of the Climate Card is expected to increase further starting from July, when the youth discount will be available. Lee Gyu-ri, from the Dept. of Sociology at Kyung Hee University (KHU), who commutes to the Seoul Campus, also expressed her intention to use the Climate Card when the youth discount is applied.

Many people are also indicating their willingness to use K-pass. Yoon Teresa, a student commuting to the Seoul Campus at KHU, mentioned that she will use the K-pass, taking into account transportation benefit and the frequency of public transportation usage. In addition, there were also opinions about using K-pass due to the regional limitations of the Climate Card. For Mun Tae-young, from the College of International Studies at the Global Campus, since the Climate Card is mostly limited to use in the Seoul area, he mentioned that using the more widely applicable K-pass would be practical and advantageous. Kim Yeon-woo, a student majoring in French Language at the Global Campus, also mentioned that since the rapid buses he frequently uses are not compatible with the Climate Card, he plans to use the K-pass instead.

As such, many students have expressed their intention to use the Climate Card or K-pass. However, since the current public transportation assistance programs are in their initial stages, they are still showing some lack of completeness. Specifically, there has been a surge of dissatisfaction among people due to the regional limitations of the Climate Card. Taking these public opinions into account, SMG announced plans to expand the coverage area of the Climate Card to include Incheon, Gimpo, Gunpo, Gwacheon, and Goyang. As a result, the service area has been expanded to include the Gimpo Goldline.

The public transportation assistance programs are expected to provide many benefits to users, but as they are still in their early stages, it appears that many improvements and discussions are needed. However, it is anticipated that as programs become more established in the future, the positive effects resulting from them will increase even further. In addition to the monetary aspect mentioned earlier, the programs can also lead to environmentally friendly effects by increasing public transportation usage. The public transportation assistance programs, which are expected to generate positive impacts in various aspects, are anticipated to further develop through collaboration and improvements among local governments in the future.