The city of Busan will fully waive tolls on the Gwangan Bridge during commuting hours. The move expands the existing 50 percent discount to a complete exemption, aimed at easing the transportation cost burden on commuting workers.
Busan said Tuesday that starting Wednesday, it will fully exempt tolls for all vehicles using the Gwangan Bridge from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, excluding Saturdays and public holidays.
The exemption applies to all vehicles traveling the Gwangan Bridge during those hours and is applied automatically without any separate advance registration or application procedure. Previously, tolls of 500 won for compact cars, 1,000 won for small cars, and 1,500 won for large and special vehicles had to be paid.
The city first introduced a 20 percent toll discount during commuting hours in 2009, then expanded the discount rate to 50 percent in 2018. Last year, it moved the start of the morning commute discount forward by one hour, from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m., and this time it has broadened its support from a discount to a full exemption.
While the city expects the measure to reduce the transportation cost burden on commuters, it also plans to manage congestion arising from increased traffic volume.
To this end, the city plans to intensively monitor traffic flow on major toll roads, including the Eulsukdo Bridge and Sanseong Tunnel, which currently waive tolls during commuting hours, and to strengthen enforcement guidance against congestion-causing behavior such as illegal stopping on shoulders and emergency parking areas or excessive slow driving. If necessary, it will also review additional measures such as excluding certain cases from the toll exemption.
"We hope the free commuter tolls on the Gwangan Bridge will ease citizens' transportation cost burden at least somewhat," said Lim Kyeong-mo, head of the city's Urban Innovation and Balance Office. "We will strengthen on-site management and guidance to prevent traffic congestion and maintain smooth traffic flow."
