The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is taking on air pollution by making all public transportation – subway and bus – completely free during commuting hours tomorrow (Jan. 15th) for the first time.
The Fine Dust Criterion
At the beginning of last year Seoul announced that starting in July 2017 whenever the level of fine particles in the air rises above 50 micrograms per cubic meter for two consecutive days they would make all public transportation free for commuters. For the second half of last year there were no days fitting the criteria, but tomorrow the fine dust will be just as bad as today, making it the first time they will implement the free public transportation program.
Seoul’s Free Public Transportation Details
Hours:
Morning: First bus or subway in the morning until 9 am
Evening: 6 pm to 9 pm all local Seoul public transportation
Transport:
Subway: Lines 1 – 9
Buses: City Buses, Maeul Buses
Conditions:
Patrons will still be asked to use their transportation cards (T-Money, credit cards, etc.) to board. Charges for buses entering and exiting Seoul can be confusing, but essentially all buses going into Seoul will still be charged regular fare while transfers to buses inside the city will be free. Buses leaving Seoul will receive a bigger discount with the fare differing depending on the destination.