Benefits Expanded from Free Rural Buses to Travel Outside the County
Reducing Both Mobility Barriers and Living Cost Burdens for Residents
Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang Province has taken its transportation welfare system to the next level by introducing the nationwide public transportation fare refund program, the "K-Pass," in addition to its existing free rural bus ride policy.
As residents can now ride for free within the county and receive refunds for trips outside the county, the policy is being evaluated as achieving both goals at once: guaranteeing residents' right to mobility and reducing living expenses.
On the 3rd, Bonghwa County took part in the "New Participating Local Governments Business Agreement Ceremony for the Public Transportation Fare Refund Support Project (K-Pass)," held by the Metropolitan Transport Commission at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong Special Self-Governing City.
This agreement aims to expand the K-Pass project nationwide under the leadership of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, with a focus on eliminating transportation blind spots for residents in agricultural, mountainous, and fishing villages.
The K-Pass is a refund-type system in which, if users take public transportation such as buses and railways more than a certain number of times per month, a fixed percentage of the amount spent is refunded. After obtaining a dedicated card issued by a credit card company and registering it through an app or website, users automatically receive refunds based on their usage.
Bonghwa County is already operating all rural buses free of charge. However, as many residents travel to nearby cities for hospital visits, grocery shopping, and cultural or administrative services, concerns over the burden of transportation costs outside the county have been consistently raised. By joining the K-Pass program, residents can now reduce even these expenses, turning "everyday life-oriented welfare" with a high sense of impact into reality.
An official from the county said, "Considering the regional characteristics of having many transportation-vulnerable residents and elderly people, guaranteeing the right to mobility is equivalent to welfare," adding, "By linking this with national funding support, we will substantially reduce residents' transportation cost burden and encourage greater use of public transportation."
In an era of local extinction, competitiveness is determined more by the convenience of everyday life than by grand development projects. This decision by Bonghwa County to add a refund scheme to its free bus policy can be seen as an evolved model of rural transportation welfare. For residents who feel the pinch of even a few thousand won in transportation costs, it means one more chance to go out, one more visit to the hospital. Small but powerful changes are transforming life in the community.
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