One senior transit card offers benefits from rail to bus... Everyone Card set to launch in December

[Financial News] Residents aged 65 and older in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region will be able to ride Gwangju Metro for free with a single card and receive transit fare refunds for buses and other public transportation.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission on the 9th, the commission, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Hana Bank and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority will sign an agreement this afternoon at the Gwangju office of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Hall to link the two cards. The linked debit card, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Senior Transit Everyone Card, is scheduled to be launched by Hana Card on Dec. 7.
The Everyone Card is a program that refunds part of transit costs, either as a percentage or a fixed amount, when people aged 19 and older use public transportation at least 15 times a month. The Older Adults Transit Card allows people aged 65 and older to use Gwangju Metro for free. The former Gwangju Metropolitan City introduced it in 2016, and about 20,000 people currently use it.
The new card is intended to reduce the inconvenience of having to switch between the Older Adults Transit Card and the Everyone Card depending on the mode of transportation. With the new card, users can ride Gwangju Metro for free and receive Everyone Card refunds on city buses, other cities’ metro systems and other services. The percentage-based option refunds 30% of the amount spent, while the fixed-amount option refunds the amount exceeding a threshold of 40,000 to 75,000 won. The card also includes Hana Card benefits, including 10% cashback on bus and subway rides, up to 6,000 won.
After getting the card at a Hana Bank branch in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region, users must sign up on the Everyone Card website or app and register the card. Hana Bank, administrative welfare centers and Gwangju Transportation Corporation, among others, will provide instructions on how to use it. Assistance with issuance and registration, along with in-person guidance, will also be available at senior health centers, welfare centers and major metro stations.
Kim Yong-seok, chair of the Metropolitan Area Transportation Commission, said, “We will continue working to increase benefits and reduce inconvenience.” Hwang Gi-yeon, vice mayor for administration and culture of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, said, “The city will work with relevant agencies on in-person outreach and actively help explain how to use the card so older residents can easily obtain the new card once it is launched.”
[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter