Sokcho City Surpasses 500,000 Free Transportation Card Uses... Transportation Welfare Policy Takes Root

Sokcho City Surpasses 500,000 Uses in 2025
Senior Free Transportation Card Records Over 650,000 Cumulative Uses

The free transportation card support program for seniors and youth, promoted by Sokcho City in Gangwon Province, has surpassed 500,000 uses in a single year as of November 2025, establishing itself as a core pillar of the region's transportation welfare policy.

Transportation card for seniors in Sokcho City. Provided by Sokcho City.

Sokcho City's free transportation card program is being implemented to alleviate transportation costs and guarantee mobility rights for seniors and youth. Since the program's launch, continued interest and usage by eligible residents have demonstrated the policy's effectiveness through tangible utilization figures.

The free transportation card for youth was introduced on May 19 of this year. It allows youth aged 13 to 18 to use city and village buses for free twice a day. Usage increased rapidly from the outset, and by November 2025, the cumulative number of uses exceeded 135,000.

The free transportation card program for seniors began in March of last year. This policy allows seniors aged 70 and above to use city and village buses for free up to 10 times per month. In 2024, the program recorded 280,000 uses, and by November 2025, the figure reached 376,000, with the cumulative total surpassing 650,000 uses.

In 2025 alone, the combined usage of free transportation cards for seniors and youth exceeded 500,000 cases as of November, solidifying the program as an essential transportation welfare system in daily life.

Meanwhile, Sokcho City has been implementing various policies to enhance mobility rights, based on the principle that guaranteeing mobility is directly linked to quality of life, including projects to strengthen public transportation.

Youth Transportation Card of Sokcho City. Provided by Sokcho City

In April of this year, the city launched a high-precision bus information service that allows users to check the real-time locations of city and village buses via mobile phones. Starting in May, the number of weekday operations for Bus Route 505, which sees high demand for commuting and school travel, was significantly increased from 20 to 32 trips per day.

The city plans to continue promoting a variety of transportation-related projects next year, including improvements to the bus information system, as these initiatives have had a positive impact on residents' quality of life.

Lee Byeongseon, Mayor of Sokcho, stated, "Creating an environment where both seniors and youth can move freely without financial burden is a key policy directly tied to the quality of life for our citizens," adding, "As usage continues to rise, we will further enhance the substance of our transportation welfare policies."