The Integrated Fare System for Public Transportation operated by Gyeonggi Province in the Seoul Metropolitan Area is gaining attention around the world.

Gyeonggi Province attracted worldwide attention with a presentation entitled the “Status of Public Transportation in Gyeonggi Province & Benefits of the Integrated Fare System for Public Transportation”, which was delivered at the Asia Pacific Seminar hosted by Union Internationale des Transports Publics, and held in Bangalore (India) from March 10 to 12, 2008.

The presentation was jointly prepared by Special Secretary for Policy Lee Han-Jun, Gyeonggi Research Institute Vice Chairman Cho Eung-rae, and Integrated Fare Director Lim Seong-man. The presentation highlighted the process of introducing the integrated fare system, and indicated a number of future directions for public transportation policy. Emphasizing the success of the new system, the presenters noted that “Approximately 90% of public transportation users expressed satisfaction with the integrated fare system for public transportation in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. The number of daily public transportation users who transfer increased from 0.13 million to about 1.1 million, with users of Gyeonggi buses increasing by more than 6%.”

Vice President Dinesh Reddy of the Road Traffic Management Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (India) who participated in the seminar said, “The efforts of Gyeonggi Province are quite impressive. I hope Gyeonggi Province will successfully complete this project to improve its public transportation system.”

Gyeonggi Research Institute Vice Chairman Cho Eung-rae, who delivered the presentation, drew support from participants with his remarks that “The improvements Gyeonggi Province has made in its public transportation system are extremely meaningful, in that we have successfully built a system for cooperation between the related administrative institutions and transportation management authorities, such as Seoul City and Korea Railroad, for the purpose of achieving the common goal of increased convenience for citizens of the Seoul Metropolitan Area.”