Gyeonggi Province will introduce “The Gyeonggi Pass,” a program that will reimburse a portion of transportation costs for all Gyeonggi residents who use public transportation without age or route restrictions, starting next July.

“We will implement the Gyeonggi Pass, which is superior to the Climate Pass, from July next year,” said Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon, explaining the need for Gyeonggi Province’s measures relative to Seoul’s Climate Pass in response to a question from National Assembly Member Cho Eun-hees during the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee’s Audit of Gyeonggi on October 17.

In terms of specific plans, Governor Kim said, “The Gyeonggi Pass will be available to all Gyeonggi residents regardless of age and includes both local buses and ID cards. We are considering the expansion of the age range so that the pass can be used anywhere in the country.”

According to Gyeonggi Province, “The Gyeonggi Pass” is a policy initiative that will reimburse all Gyeonggi residents for a portion of their transportation costs when they use any public transportation system anywhere in the country. There is no need to purchase a pass and recharge it every month, and unlike Seoul, which excludes local buses and the Shinbundang Subway Line, the program will cover all public transportation in the country, which is expected to be of considerable benefit to Gyeonggi residents who primarily use local buses and the Shinbundang Subway Line.

Gyeonggi Province plans to promote the Gyeonggi Pass project in conjunction with the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission’s K-Pass project. The K-Pass program, which will be implemented by the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission in July 2024, is a program that reimburses 20% (30% for those aged 19-34 and 53% for those with low incomes) of monthly public transportation costs for those who use public transportation more than 21 times per month. In connection with the K-Pass project, Gyeonggi Province also plans to reimburse 20% to 53% of the transportation costs of Gyeonggi residents who use public transportation more than 21 times per month and to allocate a separate budget to expand the benefits of the K-Pass.

Gyeonggi Province will first expand the number of rides on public transportation to an unlimited number of rides per month, currently capped at 60, and expand the age of young adults eligible for the 30 percent discount from a 19-to-34 range to 19 to 39. In addition, transportation subsidies will be provided for children and youths who are ineligible for the K-Pass program. The transportation support for children and youths will be implemented by amending the “Gyeonggi Youth Transportation Support Project” currently being promoted in Gyeonggi Province.

In order to implement ‘The Gyeonggi Pass,’ the province plans to establish a detailed implementation plan for each project through expert discussions with institutions such as the Gyeonggi Research Institute, Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation, and Gyeonggi Bus Union, and to conduct community consultations.

Kim Sang-soo, Director General of the Gyeonggi Province Transportation Bureau, said, “Gyeonggi Province has various fare systems for public transportation such as general city buses, regional buses, late-night buses, and the Shinbundang Subway Line; due to its large area, the distance proportionality system is applied, so most transportation experts agree that the reimbursement method is more advantageous than the commuter pass method… We will continue to make efforts to reduce the economic burden on residents in Gyeonggi Province, who are experiencing many economic difficulties due to high prices.”

Meanwhile, an analysis of Gyeonggi Province revealed that the average daily ridership of public transportation in Gyeonggi Province is 2.71 million. Of these, 2.02 million people use Gyeonggi buses and 690,000 people use the subway.

On the morning of October 17, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim answers questions about provincial policies during the 2023 National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee’s Audit of Gyeonggi at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex.