Starting on the 4th, the K-Pass, a card that refunds public transportation fares, will be usable anywhere nationwide. K-Pass, which until now could be used only by residents in some regions, is being expanded to all 229 local governments.
On the 3rd, the Metropolitan Transport Commission of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will sign business agreements with 11 local governments that had not participated in the K-Pass program. The newly participating regions are 11 locations: Jindo, Wando, Yeonggwang, and Gurye in South Jeolla; and Cheongsong, Bonghwa, Uiseong, Uljin, Yeongdeok, Cheongdo, and Ulleung in North Gyeongsang. Residents in those areas will be able to receive and use K-Pass cards starting on the 4th.
K-Pass is a program that refunds a set percentage of transportation costs when public transportation is used 15 or more times a month. Depending on usage, up to 53.5% can be refunded. A flat-rate product that refunds transportation costs exceeding a certain amount is also in operation.
Until now, K-Pass used both national and local funds, so residents in regions whose local governments did not participate could not receive benefits. With this agreement resolving all nonparticipating areas, it is being evaluated as effectively completing a "nationwide transportation fare refund program." Newly participating local governments plan to secure local funds not yet obtained through a supplementary budget.
K-Pass can be used after receiving a dedicated card from a card company and then signing up for membership and registering the card on the app or website. It is available on major public transportation modes such as city and village buses, subways, the Great Train eXpress (GTX), and the Shinbundang Line, and refunds apply even when used outside one's residence.
Chairperson Kim Yong-seok of the Metropolitan Transport Commission said, "This nationwide expansion will serve as an opportunity to resolve disparities in transportation welfare by region," and added, "We will continue to prepare supplementary measures to improve user convenience."