Gyeonggi Province Offers 1,000 Won Discount on Bike-Sharing for Youth Starting Next Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province and Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation announced on the 4th that starting January 3 next year, they will launch bike-sharing service through the Gyeonggi integrated transportation platform ‘Ddokta’ app, and will implement a ‘Youth Bike-Sharing Usage Fee Support Project’ that offers a 1,000 won discount to Gyeonggi youth.

Eligible beneficiaries are youth ages 13 to 23 registered as residents of Gyeonggi Province, who can receive an immediate 1,000 won discount per transaction when using bike-sharing services linked through the Gyeonggi integrated transportation platform ‘Ddokta’ app.

Combined with existing public transportation usage fee support, recipients can receive up to 120,000 won annually (up to 60,000 won per half-year).

Currently, there are approximately 40,000 bike-sharing bicycles in the province, of which about 8,000 are eligible for fare discounts.

The province plans to add over 10,000 more bicycles eligible for discounts by the first half of next year.

As bike-sharing has recently garnered attention as an eco-friendly future transportation mode that promotes carbon neutrality and serves as an alternative to public transportation, bike-sharing users in Gyeonggi Province are rapidly increasing, with youth accounting for approximately 40% of bike-sharing users.

However, without separate support measures for bike-sharing usage, economically vulnerable youth have faced fare burdens.

At a ‘Civil Life Field Heart-to-Heart Talk’ in Ansan attended by Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon last November, a middle school student suggested ‘including youth bike-sharing usage fee support in Gyeonggi Province’s youth transportation fee support project,’ and Governor Kim promised to review the proposal on the spot.

Min Kyung-seon, president of Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation, said, “We will grant youth living in nearby areas choice in administrative services so that more youth can receive transportation fee support, and will strive to provide convenient Ddokta platform services.”

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has supported youth in the province with up to 120,000 won annually for public transportation use through the ‘Youth Transportation Fee Support Project’ since 2020.