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Bus and metro fares in Busan are set to increase simultaneously on October 6th.
City buses will see a fare hike of 350 won, reaching 1,550 won from the previous rate. As for urban railways, the price will rise by 300 won, but the increase will be implemented in two phases – a 150 won increase in October and another 150 won in May of the following year. This will result in a fare of 1,600 won for the first half of the next year.
On the 18th, Busan City announced the approval of the public transportation fare increase plan by the City Price Countermeasures Committee.
The decision to raise the fares comes as a response to the financial strain caused by the deficit in public transportation. The original proposal included a 400 won increase in city bus fares and a 300 won increase in urban railway fares.
According to the newly established fares based on an adult transportation card, city bus rides will cost 1,550 won starting from October. Seated buses will cost 2,050 won, late-night regular buses will be 1,950 won, late-night seated buses will be 2,450 won, and cash fares will amount to 1,700 won with an additional 100 won. However, fares for youths remain unchanged, and children can still ride the bus for free.
The new urban rail fares will undergo a two-stage increase of 150 won each – the first in October and the second on May 3rd of the following year. This approach aims to lessen the immediate impact on users.
Consequently, adult fares will be 1,450 won in October and will rise to 1,600 won in May of the subsequent year. Cash fares will be the transportation card fare plus an additional 100 won. Similar to city buses, the fares for youths remain unaffected, and children can ride for free.
A 300 won increase in the light rail fare between Busan and Gimhae is planned for October, but its implementation is contingent upon consultation with Gimhae City and the Gyeongsangnam-do Fare Adjustment Committee.
Village bus fares, operating within the same range of up to 350 won as city buses, will experience the same increase on the same day as city buses and urban railways.
This fare adjustment marks the first increase in bus fares in a decade, since 2013, and the first for urban railways in six years, since 2017.
Busan City will put the new fares into effect on October 6th after implementing necessary system improvements.
Earlier in June, public transportation fares for taxis, buses, and urban railways were raised in one go, increasing the financial burden on citizens. The city raised the basic taxi fare from 3,800 won to 4,800 won.
Acknowledging the growing deficit in public transportation operations – including buses and urban railways, which reached 709.8 billion won last year – the city considers fare hikes as an inevitable measure. Alongside the fare adjustments, the city is introducing the Dongbaek Pass, which returns excess amounts spent on public transportation as incentives for Dongbaekjeon, to be implemented this month. With 120,000 subscribers within just 20 days of its launch, the city anticipates a 2-3% increase in public transportation usage share.
