Seoul hikes city bus fares

Fares for Seoul city buses will rise by 300 won (23 cents) from Saturday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday the fares for trunk (blue) and branch (green) routes will be raised to 1,500 won, while it will be 1,400 won for circulation (yellow) routes and 3,000 won for wide-area (red) routes. The late-night bus fare will be raised to 2,500 won, and village buses, or Maeul routes, to 1,200 won from 3 a.m. on Saturday.

By route type, blue, green and yellow routes' fares will be raised by 300 won, red routes by 700 won and 350 won for the late-night buses.

The increases vary by type, and fares for teens and children will be adjusted for the first time in 16 years as well. Teen fares are about 60 percent of the general fare, while the child fare is about 37 percent of the regular fare.

Previously, the city held public hearings in February, the Seoul Metropolitan Council in March and the Price Countermeasures Deliberation Committee in July to confirm the adjusted public transportation fares. The city buses have also completed administrative procedures in accordance with related laws as well.

The detailed adjustment can be found via the Seoul Metropolitan Government official website or notices at bus stops in the city.

Meanwhile, the Seoul subway fare will rise by 150 won from 1,250 won, when using a transportation card, to 1,400 won on Oct. 7 as well.

It will be the first time for Seoul to increase transportation fees since June 2015.