Among riders on Seoul Subway Lines 1–8, the share of older adults who receive free rides during commuting hours has topped 8%.
According to Seoul Metro on the 25th, among 1,030,519,269 subway boardings and alightings during commuting hours (7–9 a.m., 6–8 p.m.) last year, 85,192,978 were adults 65 and older, accounting for 8.3% of the total.
In particular, between 7 and 8 a.m., the share of older adults was 9.7%, the highest during commuting hours.
The time of day with the highest share of older passengers was before 6 a.m., at 31.1%. In other words, three out of 10 subway riders in the early morning hours are free-ride users. The period between 11 a.m. and noon followed at 25.8%. In contrast, after midnight the share was lowest at 2.4%.
How many older adults use the subway during commuting hours has drawn attention in tandem with President Lee Jae-myung's directive at a Cabinet meeting on the 24th to "limit free rides during peak times."
The president said, "Study a plan to restrict free use by older adults for just an hour or two during peak commuting times," and suggested, "Let's find a dispersal method that can distinguish older adults who are actually commuting from those who are simply traveling." Relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, plan to discuss related measures.
The fiscal burden from the free-ride program is also under discussion. Last year, Seoul Metro's losses from senior free rides amounted to 383.2 billion won, an increase of about 77% in five years compared with 216.1 billion won in 2020. This is the result of a sharp rise in the share of the elderly population, which was 4% when the program was introduced in 1984.