Captured the Walking and Ddareungi Crowds... Oh Se-hoon's All-Purpose Card Debuts on the 27th

'Climate Companion Card' Pilot Project Starting from the 27th
Unlimited Seoul Subway and Bus Rides for 62,000 KRW per Month

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is briefing at the press conference for the introduction and implementation of the Climate Companion Card held at the Seoul City Hall briefing room on September 11.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 'Climate Companion Card,' which allows unlimited use of 60,000 public transportation rides per month within Seoul city, will be piloted starting on the 27th of this month. To use the subway and city buses, one must pay 62,000 KRW per month, and if you want to include the use of Ddareungi (Seoul's public bike-sharing system), you only need to pay an additional 3,000 KRW. Seoul City plans to pilot the Climate Companion Card until May and officially introduce it in the second half of the year.

According to Seoul City, the average fare per public transportation ride for Seoul citizens is 1,525 KRW. Seoul City set the Climate Companion Card usage fee based on a similar amount of 1,500 KRW. Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, explained, "We based it on 1,500 KRW, and even if you use it 20 times a month just for commuting, it amounts to 60,000 KRW, so considering it is unlimited, we set the price at 62,000 KRW." The 65,000 KRW card also allows the use of Ddareungi. Seoul City expects that the introduction of the Climate Companion Card will activate public transportation, resulting in an annual reduction of about 13,000 private car uses and a decrease of 32,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually (equivalent to the effect of 4.8 million pine trees absorbing greenhouse gases).

Office workers are commuting by bus at the Yeouido Bus Transfer Center in Seoul.

So, which card is more beneficial for pedestrians among the existing Altteul Transportation Card and the Climate Companion Card? Since the strengths and weaknesses of the two cards are distinct, it is difficult to say that one card is absolutely advantageous. First, the Altteul Transportation Card is a transportation card that provides up to 20% mileage proportional to the distance walked or traveled by bicycle when using public transportation, and the card company offers an additional discount of about 10%. However, mileage is not accumulated unless the user presses the start and end buttons when using the card. Those who found this process cumbersome might consider the Climate Companion Card.

However, if you simply consider the number of public transportation uses, using the Climate Companion Card is more advantageous if you use the subway or bus 41 times or more per month. But it should be noted that the Climate Companion Card can only be used for public transportation within the Seoul area, while the Altteul Transportation Card can be used nationwide.

[Image source=Official Seoul City Blog]

The Climate Companion Card is available to anyone residing in Seoul. Starting from the 23rd, citizens can download a mobile card or purchase a physical card. The mobile card can be downloaded for free on Android smartphones via the 'Mobile T-money' application, and users can recharge by transferring the monthly usage fee to their account, then designate the usage date within five days before use. iPhone users must use the physical card because the mobile transportation card function is not available on iOS. The physical card is sold for 3,000 KRW at customer centers within Seoul Metro Lines 1 to 8 stations and convenience stores near the stations. Seoul City expects that 500,000 citizens will receive a discount benefit of more than 340,000 KRW per person annually through the Climate Companion Card.

Meanwhile, as the climate crisis worsens, several countries including Germany are introducing unlimited integrated transportation cards to promote public transportation. Germany experimentally introduced the '9-Euro Ticket' from June to August 2022, allowing unlimited use of public transportation for about 12,000 KRW, and officially launched the Deutschland Ticket at 49 euros per month starting May last year. Additionally, Paris, France operates a monthly pass for 72.9 euros, and Austria runs an annual 'Climate Ticket' for 1,095 euros.