“Card not approved” ... Bus driver steps in to pay fare after veteran is flustered by a shortfall in bus fare [Warm Stories]

[Financial News] A heartwarming story has emerged of a bus driver offering to pay the fare for a veteran recognized for service to the country, who was flustered when their transit card was declined.

On the 1st, a video showing a bus driver looking out for an elderly recipient of a military merit decoration was posted on the social media platform Threads.
The video showed an elderly person boarding a neighborhood bus and tapping their transit card on the reader, only to look flustered when an announcement said, “Card not approved.”
Watching, the bus driver spoke to the elderly person: “Your clothes have quite a few things on them, doesn’t it?” The person was wearing a ribbon bar indicating they had received a military merit decoration.
A recipient of a military merit decoration is a person recognized for service to the country for distinguished service in combat or other circumstances.
The elderly person was still unable to pay the bus fare and was at a loss. The driver then said, “Your fare has already been paid,” and directed them to a seat.
The video then showed the caption: “Neighborhood bus rides are not free for people recognized for service to the country. But I’ll pay your fare as a token of my gratitude. Thank you for protecting our country.”
The driver offered to cover the bus fare, expressing gratitude to the elderly person who had devoted themselves to the country.

Netizens who saw the video responded: “The bus driver is just the best,” “People recognized for service to the country deserve the respect befitting them,” “I hope neighborhood buses are included in nationwide support too. We should repay the debt our society owes them, even if only this way,” and “We need to start by increasing support for people recognized for service to the country.”
Meanwhile, public transit benefits for people recognized for service to the country vary according to their veterans’ affairs beneficiary category and disability rating, among other factors. Independence activists and disabled veterans recognized for their service can ride city buses and subways for free. For trains such as KTX and SRT, they can travel free up to six times a year and receive a 50% discount thereafter.
Neighborhood buses are excluded from the nationwide free-ride program. Some local governments therefore provide their own support for neighborhood bus fares for people recognized for service to the country. Since February this year, Guri City in Gyeonggi Province has offered free rides on all neighborhood bus routes to such people living in the city.

[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter