A growing number of rural local governments are making city bus fares completely free. This is because they believe thatincreasing use of the buses in rural and fishing area, which are the only public transportation that connects various parts of the country, will help overcome the crisis of regional extinction.

On July 17, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do, and Bo-eun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, announced, “From the 1st of this month, public city buses are operating completely free of charge.”

Jeongseon-gun expanded the scope of free riding, which was previously limited to the elderly over 65, youth, low-income earners, and the disabled, to include all Koreans and foreigners, allowing anyone to use the buses freely. Previously, residents and tourists using public city buses had to pay a fare of 1,000 won.

Boeun-gun has also made city bus fares free from the first of this month. Residents as well as tourists visiting the area can now ride the buses for free without any transportation card or ID card. There is also no limit on the number of times you can ride the bus. Boeun-gun will compensate the transportation operators for their losses due to the free fare.

“After the introduction of the fully publicized bus system in July 2020, the operating budget was reduced, so we decided to implement the free bus fare policy this time,” said Choi Seung-jun, the mayor of Jeongseon-gun. “We expect it to help revitalize tourism by making public transportation more accessible.”

With Jeongseon and Boeun-gun, the number of local governments implementing the ‘free city bus fare’ policy has increased to 15 nationwide. By region, they include Cheongsong, Bonghwa, Mungyeong, Sangju, Uisung, and Uljin in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Wando, Jindo, and Yeongam in Jeollanam-do, Jincheon, Eumseong, and Boeun in Chungcheongbuk-do, Yanggu and Jeongsun in Gangwon-do, and Sancheong in Gyeongsangnam-do.

Five or six other local governments, including Yecheon in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Danyang in Chungcheongbuk-do, are also considering introducing free city bus rides.

The free city bus policy was first implemented nationwide in 2023 by Cheongsong-gun.

In just two years, the policy has spread rapidly, especially to rural local governments.

Local governments believe that the free bus policy is having a positive effect on revitalizing commercial districts, improving transportation and living environments, and attracting tourists.

In Yanggu-gun, which converted all buses to public operation and eliminated fares from January this year, the cumulative number of bus riders from January to March increased by 17percent compared to the same period last year. “Until last year, I had to pay 1,700 won every time I took the bus, but it's great to be able to use it for free this year,” said Mr. Kim(aged 56), a resident who uses rural buses to get to and from the town hospital about three times a week.

In Cheongsong-gun, the number of bus riders has increased by more than 25 percent in the two years since the free policy was implemented, naturally revitalizing the local economy.

The average daily ridership of rural buses in Wando and Jindo counties has also increased by 30 percent compared to before the fare-free policy.

With the effectiveness confirmed, it is expected that 30 local governments will introduce free city bus policies in the next two to three years. An official from Gangwon-do said, "As local residents' voices calling for transportation welfare and revitalization of commercial districts are increasing, more and more local governments are considering free city bus fares," adding, "We expect that the number of local governments considering free city buses will continue to increase in the future."