Seoul's subway system will impose additional base fares on passengers who fail to tap their transit cards when exiting, starting tomorrow.
Seoul Metro announced Wednesday that it will implement the "Urban Railway Exit Non-Tag Penalty System" beginning Thursday to curb fare evasion by riders who deliberately skip exit taps to avoid distance-based surcharges.
Subway fares are calculated based on travel distance recorded between entry and exit taps. Without an exit tap, the system cannot determine the distance traveled, allowing riders to avoid additional charges.
Since the metropolitan integrated transfer fare system was introduced in 2004, passengers who skipped exit taps lost bus-subway transfer discounts. However, no penalty existed for those using only the urban rail system.
According to Seoul city data, an average of 8,000 cases of missed exit taps occurred daily from January to November last year on lines operated by Seoul Metro.
"Fare evasion exploiting this loophole raises fairness issues for citizens who pay legitimate fares," the corporation stated, explaining the rationale for the new policy. Seoul Metro persuaded other metropolitan rail operators and revised passenger transport regulations to implement the system.
Under the new rules, transit cards without exit tap records will be flagged in the system, triggering automatic base fare charges on the next boarding. The penalty applies to prepaid and postpaid transit cards but excludes monthly passes, single-use tickets, and discount tickets. Additional charges are 1,550 won for adults, 900 won for youth, and 550 won for children.
Seoul Metro will conduct joint awareness campaigns with other metropolitan rail operators at major transfer stations including Seoul Station and Hongdae through the end of this month.
"This is not about imposing new burdens," the corporation emphasized. "It prevents deliberate fare evasion and fills an institutional gap that existed for urban rail-only users."
Meanwhile, Seoul City Council member Song Do-ho of the Democratic Party raised concerns that the policy lacks sufficient data verification.
"The basis for calculating the 8,000 daily cases and detailed analysis have not been adequately presented," Song said during a Seoul Metro briefing on Tuesday. "We need analysis of what proportion this represents of total ridership and how much stems from intentional evasion versus simple user error."
Song also noted that missed taps can occur due to turnstile congestion, user mistakes, or system errors. "Imposing additional fares without analyzing these factors could be perceived as shifting responsibility onto citizens," he said. "While I support the policy's intent to restore fare order, sufficient review of policy effectiveness and potential public inconvenience must come first."
