The Seoul city government will eliminate the age limit for job program participants targeting the middle-aged and seniors starting next year. Previously, the age range was set at 40 to 67 years, which will be removed. Additionally, the maximum usage time for village buses will be extended from 1 hour to 2 hours, and teenagers will also be included in the discount eligibility for the unlimited monthly transportation card, known as the climate companion card.
On the 23rd, the Seoul city government announced 10 regulatory reform proposals containing these details.
The regulatory reform proposals from the Seoul government reflect suggestions made by citizens and public officials. Starting with the first regulatory reform proposal in January of this year, a total of 93 proposals have been introduced up to this date. The proposals announced on this day are numbered 84 to 93.
The first of these, proposal 87, is the removal of the age limit for participants in the Seoul middle-aged value companion job program. In 2017, the participation age was adjusted from 40 to 65 years to 40 to 67 years, and now the age limit will be completely removed. The middle-aged value companion job program is a job support initiative that helps the middle-aged participate in society and continue economic activities in welfare, public service, and cultural facilities.
The Seoul city government plans to apply the removal of the age limit starting next year's project. The authorities will comprehensively review job reassignments considering age-specific characteristics and the safety issues that may arise from seniors' participation. Through this, Seoul expects that more than 1,500 middle-aged individuals can participate additionally.
The regulatory reform proposal also includes measures that could alleviate the burden of public transportation expenses. This includes proposal 90, which extends the maximum usage time for village buses from 1 hour to 2 hours, and proposal 91, which expands the youth discount eligibility for the climate companion card.
Currently, passengers using village buses for more than 1 to 2 hours must pay a basic fare of 1,200 won in addition to the fare for the time of boarding. The Seoul city government estimates that increasing the usage time for village buses to 2 hours will reduce the burden by about 18 million won annually. This regulatory reform is expected to be promoted within the year through the 'Village Bus Policy Review Committee.'
Additionally, the youth discount eligibility for the climate companion card will be expanded to include individuals aged 13 to 18. Previously, it was only available for those aged 19 to 39. Although teenagers' public transportation fares are about 40% cheaper than regular fares, they often take the bus multiple times a day for school and academy commutes. However, unlike young adults, teenagers have not had separate discounts and have had to use the general climate companion card.
Moreover, this regulatory reform proposal includes lowering the participation age for the wrist doctor 9988 from 19 to 18 starting in April (proposal 84) and abolishing the income requirements for the lifetime education voucher issuance eligibility (proposal 85).
A Seoul city official noted, “We will make every effort to ensure that improvements can be made promptly for aspects closely related to the lives of citizens.”