The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that the sales of Climate Card for public transportation will begin in 2024. The Climate Card, which will be available in both mobile and physical versions, will provide unlimited access to public transportation in Seoul for a month.
Starting from Jan. 23, 2024, the Climate Card will be available for purchase. There are two types of cards available - mobile and physical. The mobile Climate Card can be bought through the ‘Mobile T-Money’ application, while the physical card can be obtained at customer safety rooms and convenience stores located in subway stations on lines 1-8.
The card is valid for 30 days from the first day of use and currently supports only prepaid payments. However, there are plans in the works for a postpaid payment system to be introduced in the future.
This card provides a wide range of transit lines, including Seoul Subway Lines 1-9, Sillim Line, Ui Sinseol Line(Ui LRT), Suin-bundang Line, Gyeongchun Line, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, and the Airport Railroad. However, the Shinbundang Line is excluded due to different fare structures.
“Korail’s jurisdictional lines, such as Gyeongchun Line and Gyeongui-Jungang Line, have also been included in the Climate Card service,” the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained.
Certain limitations apply based on jurisdictional boundaries. For instance, Line 1 is available only from Onsu Station to Dobongsan Station, and Line 3 from Jichuk Station to Ogeum Station, as Gyeonggi-do does not participate in the Climate Card service.
Meanwhile, Gimpo City and Incheon City, which have decided to participate in the Climate Card project recently, will be able to participate as early as next March. “Gimpo Gold Line and Incheon Subway Lines 1-2 are also under consideration to participate in the Climate Card,” said a Seoul Metropolitan Government official.
The card can be used for city and village buses within Seoul, but it can’t be used for buses operating through Gyeonggi-do and Incheon, as well as metropolitan buses and late-night buses. Nonetheless, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering the possibility of adding late-night buses to a pilot project.
For this plan, in addition to the 65,000 won ($49.75) fare, a 62,000 won ($47.45) fare has been newly introduced.
“Those who do not use ‘Ttareungi’, Seoul’s public bicycles, can use the 62,000 won ticket, while those who use Ttareungi can use the 65,000 won ticket,” the city official explained. “The use of Ttareungi increases mostly in spring and fall,” he added, “so it is better to choose the 65,000 won card in spring and fall and the 62,000 won card in summer and winter.”
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon expressed the city’s commitment to continuously improving transportation systems and services with the Climate Card.
“With the Climate Card, we will continue to improve our systems and services to provide transportation benefits to all citizens of Seoul and the Seoul metropolitan area,” said Mayor Oh.
This article was originally published on Dec. 19, 2023.
