1.58 billion rides by seniors cause nearly 2 trillion won loss for 5 years

According to the data presented Friday by Seoul and five metropolitan cities to Rep. Park Jae-ho at the Land and Transport Committee under the National Assembly, 1.58 billion rides were made by those aged 65 and above among the subway usages in the corresponding self-governing municipalities between 2013 and 2017. It takes up 13 percent of the total usages (11.98 billion) during the same period, which caused a total loss of 1.98 trillion won.

The number of senior citizens without paying the fare and the relevant losses are increasing every year. The figure rose from 288,309 in 2013 to 348,590 in 2017, while the loss grew by 28 percent from 334.5 billion won to 467.6 billion won. This trend is expected to continue for some years. The Budget Office under the National Assembly says that at least three trillion won will be needed to maintain the free ride system for the elderly over the next five years.


Sung-Hwi Kang yolo@donga.com