Free Bus Fare in Hwaseong City, South Korea
The background of promoting free bus fare
Conditions and how to utilise this policy
Request from the South Korean government
[해외 특파원 1기 / 김정욱 기자] Due to the large land area of Hwaseong City, more people tend to use their own mode of transportation rather than public transportation compared to Seoul. In Seoul, due to traffic during rush hour, more people are opting the use of public transportation, such as the subway and bus. Furthermore, citizens prefer using their cars since public transportation such as buses or subways are not distributed widely as Hwaseong City is 1.4 times bigger than Seoul. In addition, there are more cultural and sports facilities in Hwaseong city, than any other local governments. However, due to the wide land area, citizens are demanding the construction of more various facilities. It is estimated to cost about 1 trillion won to build 61 cultural, sports, and welfare facilities in Hwaseong, and approximately 200 billion won to operate 61 facilities over the past three years. Therefore, the local government announced that it would be better to make a free bus fare and connect the unique facilities and exclusive sports facilities rather than building new ones that will cost a fortune.
Since November 2020, for the first time in the metropolitan area, free transportation has been implemented for children and adolescents aged 7 to 18. Since a lot of people go through Hwaseong City and do not move into the city, they have decided to give the money that was spent only in Hwaseong City at the end of the month. The number of applicants for free transportation for children and youth was 26,628 which was twice as many as 12,228 children and youth bus users in Hwaseong City in 2019. Those who are fit to use this policy can apply and register a card dedicated to free transportation by internet and use it after charging it at convenience stores in the same way as before. The city government is planning to expand the limit to 65 years of age or older in July this year and 19-23 years of age in November, and plans to gradually expand it as time passes.
The city government announced that they are expecting a wider use of free bus fare when the pandemic is over and when the children are going to their school normally. Moreover, they said that they are planning to make up what they are missing after receiving suggestions from the citizens. The city government finished their interview by saying that they will actively cooperate with local governments that are planning to implement free transportation policies or are interested in preparing an environment and system that can guarantee citizens’ basic rights to move.
