Starting on the 16th, tolls on national government-funded expressways will be waived for route buses and late-night freight trucks for one month.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 14th that the measure was approved at a Cabinet meeting. Under the plan, route buses will be exempt from tolls from midnight on the 16th through midnight on the 15th of next month, and late-night freight trucks will be exempt from 9 p.m. on the 16th through 9 p.m. on the 16th of next month.
The toll exemption for route buses applies to vehicles that run on fixed routes, such as express buses using Hi-Pass. Tolls will be charged as usual first, then the usage for the month will be reconciled, and upon application, the tolls will be refunded.
Late-night freight trucks currently receive a 30%–50% discount on tolls, and under this measure the discount will be 100%. For closed sections where fares are charged in proportion to the distance traveled, if the share of driving between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day (time driven between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. divided by total driving time) is 20%, tolls will be waived. For open sections where a set amount is charged at each tollgate, tolls will be waived if the vehicle passes between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. the next day.
To receive the toll exemption, drivers must use a Hi-Pass lane with a device registered for late-night discount reductions. Freight vehicles of class 4 or higher can receive the exemption even when using general lanes. The Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) will bear the full cost resulting from the toll exemption.