On the afternoon of the 10th, a public hearing was held at the Seoul City Hall Seosomun Building to discuss ways to increase public transportation fares and resolve financial difficulties. yunhap news
The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a public hearing and reconfirmed its position that “subway and bus fares must be raised by at least 300 won.” Some debaters criticized it as “a way to pass the burden on the user citizens on the pretext that the central government is not responsible.” Lee Chang-seok, head of the Transportation Policy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, announced a plan to adjust Seoul public transportation fares at a public hearing held on the 10th in the auditorium on the 4th floor of the Seosomun Government Complex Welfare Building. He said, “In order to meet the realistic rate of 84.5% at the time of the past rate increase, 700 won must be raised, but considering the burden of citizens, the minimum level that can be raised is 300 won.” The city of Seoul estimated the average deficit of subways and buses from 2023 to 2025 under the current fare system at 1,214.6 billion won and 723.9 billion won, respectively. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that if the fare was raised by 300 won, the subway and bus deficits would decrease by 316.2 billion won and 248.1 billion won, respectively. If you look at Seoul’s public transportation plan in detail, the basic fare for green and main line buses will increase by 300 won from 1,200 won to 1,500 won on a credit card basis. 350 won, village bus 300 won from 900 won to 1200 won. Subway fares will also increase by 300 won from 1250 won to 1550 won. When using only the subway or using the integrated subway and bus transfer system, the distance fare, which was 100 won for every 5 km over 10 km, will be raised to 150 won. Manager Lee Chang-seok explained, “This is for the realization of rates for long-distance use according to the beneficiary-pay principle.” Kim Ki-yong, vice president of the Seoul Village Bus Transportation Business Association, who participated as a panelist on the day, said, “The village buses are operated under a private management system, and the main source of income depends on fares. Due to the long-term fare freeze and Corona 19, each village bus company is on the verge of bankruptcy with hundreds of millions of won in debt. It should be raised by at least 400 won,” he insisted. Another debater, Kim Sang-cheol, chairman of the Public Transport Network Policy Committee, said, “There are ways to increase the fare cost preservation rate as well as increase the number of public transportation users, but Seoul City chose the easiest way to increase fares.” It is good to fight over preservation responsibility, but it is inappropriate to pass the burden on users under the pretext that the central government is not responsible.” Yu Mi-hwa, chairman of the National Council of the Green Consumer Network, said, “In a situation where consumer prices have already risen significantly, raising public transportation fares is a bad policy decision that puts consumers under price pressure.” Please fully reflect the opinions of consumers on this.” One attendee who introduced himself, saying, “I used public transportation a lot,” said, “According to the explanation of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the benefits returned to users when the fare is raised by 300-400 won are the improvement of old subway facilities and the introduction of low-emission buses. “But what I want is to improve the severe public transportation congestion and long dispatch intervals,” he said. The public hearing on this day was delayed due to members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions occupying the podium. Members of the Democratic Bus Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Public Transportation Workers’ Union went up to the podium of the auditorium in the Welfare-dong building of the Seosomun Government Complex in Seoul, where a public hearing was scheduled to be held around 2:00 p.m. Transportation,” he continued. In the process, physical fights broke out with the bus industry and other union officials. Swearing and shouting came and went. After about 15 minutes of commotion, the police came into the auditorium to sort things out, and the public hearing began. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to raise subway and bus fares at the end of April after consulting with institutions implementing the integrated transfer system in the metropolitan area, such as Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Korea Railroad Corporation, listening to the opinions of the city council, and deliberation by the Price Countermeasure Committee. Reporter Kim Seon-shik kss@hani.co.kr
