Jongno 3-ga Station Ranks First in Fare Evasion
Gyeongma Park Sees 180,000 Free Riders
Fare Evasion Rate Tops at 43%
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party who advocates for the abolition of the free ride system for the elderly, claimed that "among the Line 4 subway stations, the station with the highest free ride rate is Gyeongmajang Station." Is this true?
On the 27th, checking the 'Subway Line and Station-wise Paid and Free Boarding and Alighting Passenger Information' from the Seoul Open Data Plaza, as of December last year, the station with the highest number of free boarding and alighting passengers among all stations in Seoul was Jongno 3-ga Station. This is because Lines 1, 3, and 5 intersect there, and nearby facilities such as Tapgol Park and Nakwon Arcade are frequently visited by the elderly population who benefit from the free ride system. The total number of boarding and alighting passengers at Jongno 3-ga Station was 3,135,423, of which about 946,000 used the subway for free.
The stations with the next highest number of free boarding and alighting passengers are ▲Cheongnyangni Station (total boarding and alighting 2,430,351, free boarding and alighting 860,578) ▲Express Bus Terminal Station (total boarding and alighting 5,219,743, free boarding and alighting 751,600) ▲Sadang Station (total boarding and alighting 4,153,698, free boarding and alighting 695,099) ▲Seoul Station (total boarding and alighting 5,732,578, free boarding and alighting 639,028), in that order.
In comparison, Gyeongmagongwon Station had a total boarding and alighting of 420,924, with 181,945 of those being free rides. Compared to other stations with high foot traffic like Jongno 3-ga Station, the scale is quite different. However, if you calculate the 'free boarding and alighting rate' that the leader mentioned, the story changes. The free boarding and alighting passengers account for 43% of the total boarding and alighting passengers. This is the highest rate among the 34 stations on Line 4 and the Gwacheon Line. This means that the leader's statement that Gyeongmajang Station has the highest free ride rate among Line 4 subway stations is true.
The stations with the second and third highest free boarding and alighting rates among stations on Line 4 and the Gwacheon Line are Daegongwon Station (32%) and Dongjak Station (31%). Daegongwon Station had a total boarding and alighting of 176,741, with 57,251 free rides. Dongjak Station had 73,590 total passengers, of which 23,029 used the subway for free.
Among all subway lines in Seoul, there are five stations where the free boarding and alighting rate exceeds 50%. On Line 1, Yeoncheon Station had 63,256 total boarding and alighting passengers, of which 42,029, or 66%, used the subway without paying. Following are ▲Soyosan Station on Line 1 (Gyeongwon Line) (65%, total boarding and alighting 20,607, free boarding and alighting 7,8109) ▲Uncheon Station on the Gyeongui Line (59%, total boarding and alighting 336, free boarding and alighting 197), ▲Jegidong Station on Line 1 (54%, total boarding and alighting 979,424, free boarding and alighting 528,728), and ▲Wondeok Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line (53%, total boarding and alighting 20,368, free boarding and alighting 10,744).
The day before, Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and had a heated debate with Kim Ho-il, president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, regarding the free ride system for the elderly. Lee said, "Do you know which Line 4 subway station has the highest free ride rate? It is Gyeongmajang Station. We need to see how this is perceived by the younger generation."
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