'950 Won, 1,600 Won'... Jeonnam-Gwangju Bus Fares to Undergo Overhaul

Differences in Bus Fare Caps and Transfer Systems Between Jeonnam and Gwangju
Council to Be Formed with 22 Cities and Counties; Unified Standard to Be Finalized Next Year
Taxi Fares to Remain Unchanged under the Special Act

With the launch of the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Special City) on July 1, unifying the disparate public transportation fare systems and transfer policies in Gwangju and the 22 cities and counties of Jeonnam has emerged as a key challenge in the early stages of the new administration.

On the first day of the launch of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City on the 1st, the signboard at the Gwangju government office was changed from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall to Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Hall. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Gwangju Special City on July 8, it is currently designing a customized public transportation policy for the integrated special city, covering bus fares, transfer systems, and age-based discount schemes across the 22 cities and counties.

The most urgent and complex issue is integrating the bus fare system. Currently, for card payments, the city bus fare for adults within Gwangju is 1,250 won for regular buses and 1,700 won for seat buses. However, the fares for Jeonnam's cities and counties vary widely, ranging from 950 to 1,600 won, depending on the size of the local governments' own discount budgets. For example, Naju charges 1,450 won, while Mokpo, Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang each charge around 1,600 won.

Gokseong, Yeongam, Wando, and Jindo counties, which operate rural buses, have introduced a 'free bus' system that allows both residents and visitors to ride buses at no cost, resulting in the removal of fare collection devices altogether. For children and youth, Gwangju charges 400 won (with a 100% refund discount when using a transportation card), while Wando, Yeongam, and Gokseong offer completely free rides. The eligibility for free rides for seniors as a welfare benefit also varies: Yeosu and Suncheon set the age at 75 and above, while Gwangyang sets it at 65 and above.

Accordingly, the special city has determined that it is realistically impossible to unify the entire region under a single fare. Instead, it is considering setting a legal upper limit for bus fares. At present, the maximum base fare in Jeonnam Province is officially set at 1,700 won, while in Gwangju, it is 1,250 won (or 1,400 won for cash payments), resulting in a dual system. The plan is to first standardize this administrative upper limit, and then group fare zones according to the characteristics of each autonomous district and city/county for further adjustments.

However, aligning the fare caps between Gwangju and Jeonnam does not mean that bus fares in Gwangju will be raised immediately.

The overhaul of the metropolitan transfer system is also under review. Currently, the eastern region of Jeonnam, including Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, operates an intercity 'free transfer system.' In contrast, the five cities and counties adjacent to Gwangju (Naju, Hwasun, Damyang, Jangseong, and Hampyeong) have, under a 2013 agreement, been offering only a 50% discount on transfer fares, resulting in additional charges each time passengers cross city or county borders. Furthermore, there are differences in the transfer time limits after alighting: 30 minutes in the eastern region and 60 minutes in the Mokpo area.

The main obstacle to transportation policy integration is that, unlike the semi-public system in Gwangju, most city and county buses in Jeonnam are operated privately or as subsidized rural buses, which leads to substantial financial burdens. The special city plans to establish a council with the 22 cities and counties in the second half of this year to discuss the allocation of financial responsibility and aims to finalize the unified transportation policy by next year.

On the other hand, taxi fares and service areas are expected to remain unchanged for the time being.

An official from Gwangju Special City explained, "According to Article 11 of the Jeonnam Gwangju Special Act, if different laws apply between the city and province, existing operations can be maintained as is. Therefore, taxi service areas will continue to follow the current boundaries of the five autonomous districts in Gwangju and the respective cities and counties in Jeonnam, and fare structures will also remain as they are." The official added, "However, if there are future requests for fare increases or standardization in each city or county, measures such as adjusting the upper limit will be considered."

The official continued, "The reason for standardizing the upper limit of the existing fare structure is that, when reviewing future transportation policies, Gwangju and Jeonnam need to be treated as a single administrative district in accordance with the relevant ordinance. Fares will not be raised immediately," adding, "Since the special city will be providing the financial resources, we plan to establish a consultative body in close cooperation with the 22 cities and counties and set standards with next year as the target."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.