October 15-22 User Satisfaction Survey Results Confirm Effectiveness of Dongbaek Pass
‘Busan Public Transportation Environment Improved’ 81.9%... Positive Perception of Public Transit Increases
Busan City conducted a satisfaction survey of 'Dongbaek Pass' users over eight days from October 15 to 22, and the results confirmed the effectiveness of the 'Dongbaek Pass' implementation, showing an increase in public transportation usage days and a decrease in private car usage days after using the 'Dongbaek Pass.'
According to the survey conducted for the first time targeting users since the implementation of 'Dongbaek Pass' in August last year, 76.5% of respondents said, "Public transportation usage increased after using the Dongbaek Pass," and 93% responded that "Dongbaek Pass helps to revitalize public transportation."
Based on a one-week period, the number of days using public transportation increased from 4 days to 5.2 days, an increase of 1.2 days, while the number of days using private cars decreased from 1.6 days to 0.8 days, a decrease of 0.8 days (17,562 respondents).
The overall satisfaction with the 'Dongbaek Pass' reached 92.5%, and 81.9% responded that "the public transportation environment in Busan has improved since the implementation of the Dongbaek Pass," indicating that the 'Dongbaek Pass' plays a significant role in enhancing positive perceptions of public transportation.
Additionally, citizens left reviews such as "The burden of transportation costs has been alleviated due to refunds, and the refunded money is spent within Busan, creating a virtuous cycle for the Busan economy," and "I used it to reduce transportation costs but became deeply attracted to public transportation."
The number of 'Dongbaek Pass' subscribers has been steadily increasing and is expected to reach around 600,000 by the end of this month. Encouraged by this strong public response, the city will hold citizen participation events starting from the 7th, including 'Writing Dongbaek Pass Usage Reviews' and 'Finding the Dongbaek Pass Family.'
The number of 'Dongbaek Pass' subscribers more than doubled from 256,000 at the end of October last year to 575,000 at the end of October this year, with about 20,000 new subscribers joining monthly on average.
The city has continuously worked to improve the system to expand 'Dongbaek Pass' users. It introduced the 'Prepaid Dongbaek Pass' (March 2024) to allow low-credit users and foreigners to use the pass, launched the 'Youth Dongbaek Pass' for ages 13 to 18 (July 2024), and linked 'Dongbaek Pass' with 'K-Pass' (August 2024) so that users who use public transportation more than 15 times a month can enjoy K-Pass benefits with the Dongbaek transportation card.
Starting from the 7th, events such as 'Writing Dongbaek Pass Usage Reviews' and 'Our Family Unites with Dongbaek Pass, Finding the Dongbaek Pass Family,' where the whole family uses public transportation with Dongbaek Pass, will be held to make the pass more familiar to citizens and to listen to their diverse opinions through policy support fund payments.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, "This survey showed that the 'Dongbaek Pass' plays a significant role in reducing citizens' transportation costs and promoting public transportation use. Last year, the public transportation modal share also reached 44.4%, the highest since the implementation of the semi-public operation system," adding, "We will continue to improve the 'Dongbaek Pass,' listen to citizens' voices to make it more convenient, and strive to make Busan the city where public transportation is the most convenient."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
