"Within 30 Minutes on Foot: Commoners Growing Sensitive to Transportation Costs"

8 out of 10 People Say "Public Transportation Fare Increase Is a Big Burden"
50% of Respondents Say "Subway Fare Is at an Appropriate Level"

As public transportation fares increase, the burden of living expenses is growing, leading to heightened interest in ways to save on transportation costs.

On the 10th, market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor conducted a survey titled 'Perceptions on Transportation Cost Burden and Transportation Cost Support Policies' targeting 1,000 men and women aged 19 to 69 residing in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi who have used public transportation in the past three months. As a result, 8 out of 10 respondents (83.9%) said that the increase in public transportation fares is a significant burden for ordinary citizens.

In particular, there was a strong perception that the currently increased Seoul public transportation fares are generally expensive. The proportions of respondents who said that 'express buses' and 'main and branch line buses' are expensive were 70.5% and 46.5%, respectively. However, the subway fare was notably seen as still at an appropriate level (50.1%).

Citizens are waiting for the bus in the snow near Mapo Station on Seoul Subway Line 5. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

As the rise in public transportation fares increases the burden on living expenses, interest in ways to reduce fares is also growing. Nine out of 10 respondents (86.0%) expressed a desire to save as much as possible on transportation costs, and 79.0% said they would like to try various methods if it meant reducing transportation expenses.

Additionally, 64.4% of respondents said they are actually practicing ways to save on transportation costs. They mostly try to walk as much as possible for distances within 30 minutes on foot (67.6%, multiple responses allowed) or take advantage of transfer discounts (61.7%) to save on transportation costs. Following these, 40.4% use transportation discount cards, and 34.2% utilize reward benefits. However, the majority of respondents said it is difficult to reduce costs because they have to use public transportation daily (89.0%).

Meanwhile, there appears to be a certain level of public interest and support for the 'transportation cost support policies' recently promoted by the government and local governments. Nine out of 10 respondents (85.2%) expressed an intention to make the most of transportation cost support policies in the future.

Among the main policies, 'K-Pass' and 'Climate Companion Card,' the upgraded version of the existing Altteul Transportation Card, 'K-Pass,' showed a somewhat higher favorability (K-Pass 58.2% · Climate Companion Card 28.3%). There was generally a high demand for policies that can be used across all regions (90.4% agreement), and 85.6% of respondents also said that the range of transportation modes should be expanded.