A new unlimited K-Pass card will be introduced, allowing users to receive a full refund for any public transportation expenses exceeding the refund threshold amount within a month. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Metropolitan Transport Commission announced on the 15th that it would expand the K-Pass project to significantly reduce the transportation costs for public transportation users.
The K-Pass, which has been in operation since May last year, allows users who use public transportation more than 15 times a month to receive a refund of a certain percentage (20%~53.3%) of their expenses. The Metropolitan Transport Commission will introduce the ‘Everyone’s Card,’ which will refund all expenses exceeding the monthly threshold. This is expected to significantly reduce the transportation costs for frequent users such as commuters and students.
The refund threshold will be applied differently by region, considering the state of public transportation infrastructure, so that users in areas with relatively poor public transportation can also benefit. There will be two types of cards: the general type, which applies to transportation modes with a total usage fee of less than 3000 won per trip including transfers, and the plus type, which applies to all transportation modes.
To encourage the elderly (65 years and older) to use public transportation and ensure their mobility rights, a new type with a 30% (+10%p) refund rate will be introduced. Starting next year, eight new local governments, including Goseong, Yanggu, and Jeongseon in Gangwon, and Gangjin, Yeongam, and Boseong in Jeonnam, will participate, allowing residents of 218 local governments to benefit from the K-Pass refund.