Busan City Selects Mybi Consortium as Next Transportation Card System Operator... 86.3 Billion KRW Invested to Enhance Citizen Convenience

Additional 14 Billion KRW in City Budget Savings Through Reduced Transportation Card Data Fees
Introduction of 'Tagless', Expansion of Electronic Bus Route Maps...
Investment in Mobility Data Center and More
Mybi to Operate City Transportation Card System for 10 Years Starting August...
Improving Public Transportation Environment

Busan City (Mayor Park Hyung-jun) signed a 'Business Implementation Agreement for the Establishment and Operation of the Busan Metropolitan City Transportation Card System' with the Mybi Consortium on the 7th, confirming the Mybi Consortium as the next project operator.

As the current transportation card system operator agreement is set to expire on August 6, the city actively responded to future changes in the transportation environment and aimed to enhance citizen convenience and promote transportation card usage through stable system operation. Last November, the city solicited proposals for the next transportation card system operator and, after a proposal evaluation committee review, selected the Mybi Consortium as the preferred negotiation partner.

The Mybi Consortium is composed of Mybi, Lotte Innovate, and Samwon F&A as a joint supply body.

Regarding the controversy over the 'data processing fee' for transportation cards included in the proposal submitted by Mybi to the proposal evaluation committee in January, the city, Busan Transportation Corporation, and the Bus Association held five negotiation meetings and agreed to significantly reduce the fee from the original 1.5% to 0.96%. Additionally, the issuance cost of welfare transportation cards for urban rail, previously fully borne by Busan Transportation Corporation, will now be jointly shared by the project operators. The city stated that this arrangement has laid the foundation for further easing the financial burden by approximately 14 billion KRW and strengthening public interest.

Based on the proposal submitted by Mybi, the city completed negotiations to increase contributions to the local community and social value realization in seven areas, including ▲ reduction of transportation card data fees (from 1.5% to 0.96%), ▲ joint sharing of urban rail welfare transportation card issuance costs, ▲ full introduction of electronic route maps for city and village buses, and ▲ expansion of local talent employment scale (from 230 to 300 employees).

With the selection of the transportation card system operator, Mybi will carry out the city’s transportation card system project for the next 10 years starting in August.

The project is expected to drive public transportation development with a total investment of 86.3 billion KRW, including policies necessary for future mobility such as ▲ establishment of the Busan Mobility Data Center, ▲ launch of the mobile Dongbaek Pass around July, ▲ full-scale introduction of the contactless payment system 'Tagless,' ▲ introduction of integrated bus-urban rail commuter passes, and ▲ improvement and expansion of the metropolitan transfer system. It also includes ▲ a 10 billion KRW contribution to the Transportation Innovation Fund, ▲ expansion of local talent recruitment for social value realization and citizen convenience enhancement, and ▲ introduction of new technologies necessary for activating transportation card usage and implementing next-generation mobility.

Hwang Hyun-chul, Director of the City’s Transportation Innovation Bureau, said, “Through the selection of this transportation card system operator, we expect a dramatic increase in convenience for citizens using public transportation alongside bold investments for innovative and future-oriented mobility policy implementation. This will further improve the public transportation usage environment, reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and enhance the quality of life and environmental sustainability for Busan citizens. We will continue to develop the nation’s highest-level transportation policies.” He added, “Regarding the injunction application recently filed by the operator who was not selected, we are actively responding with the relevant departments and legal representatives, and we expect the objectivity and fairness of the operator selection process to be justified.”

Busan City Hall.