Seoul buses to pilot tagless payments from October
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The pilot programme will cover approximately 500 buses running through 36 bus routes.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY
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SEOUL - A tagless payment system is set to be introduced as a pilot programme on city buses in Seoul from October, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on June 11.
According to the city government, the tagless payment system will allow passengers to ride city buses without having to tap the card reader with their transportation card.
By installing a mobile application provided by T-money and enabling Bluetooth and location services, passengers can keep their smartphones in their pockets or bags and still have their fares processed automatically upon boarding and exiting the bus.
The pilot programme will cover approximately 500 buses running through 36 bus routes.
A city government official confirmed to The Korea Herald that the pilot programme will be “focused on areas with the highest average number of commuters”, such as bus routes running close to Subway Line No. 2’s Gangnam Station and Hongik University Station as well as City Hall Station, which connects Line Nos. 1 and 2.
The pilot programme will focus on bus routes connected to subway stations in order to verify that the tagless payment system correctly applies transfer discounts between subways and buses.
This is in line with plans announced by the city in April to apply the tagless payment system to Subway Line Nos. 1 through 8 by the end of 2025.
In his New Year’s address, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also prioritised expanding the tagless payment system as part of the city’s broader push to improve convenience and accessibility in public transportation.
During the pilot programme, the city government will assess the system’s performance in various real-world conditions, such as its ability to detect payment signals when there is a high number of passengers on board.
Officials will review user feedback and examine the system’s cost efficiency before deciding on a wider rollout.
Tagless payments have already been adopted on select express buses from Gyeonggi Province and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province.
In Seoul, the payment system is in place on subway stations on the light rail Ui-Sinseol Line.
Five stations on Subway Line No. 7 – including Onsu Station, Cheonwang Station, Gwangmyeongsageori Station, Cheolsan Station and Namguro Station – began piloting the system in early June. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
