Reports of foreigners boarding Korean buses unpaid despite low-balance alerts spark debate
In short
Korean outlets report a growing number of eyewitness accounts of foreign passengers boarding buses without paying after fare cards signalled insufficient balance. A social media post dated the 19th described four foreign women on a Seoul city bus, and commenters shared similar accounts. Claims that overseas social media shares this as a travel tip were not verified, Asia Economy said.
Read the full story 3 min read
Korean outlets reported on 22 October that eyewitness accounts are mounting of foreign passengers boarding buses without paying after being told their transport card balance was insufficient. Newsis said the accounts had revived a controversy over so-called fare-dodging tricks. Dong-A Ilbo and Korea Economic Daily also described the accounts as drawing controversy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The latest account is a social media post dated the 19th. According to the poster, identified as A by Newsis and Korea Economic Daily, four foreign women on a Seoul city bus tapped their transport cards in turn and each time heard "insufficient balance". They then boarded without paying, and the poster said the driver did not stop them. The poster said they told the women when getting off that riding without paying is not allowed, and the women replied that they knew and appeared flustered. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Commenters shared similar experiences. One said it was already the second time in a week, with two Western women and then one Western man tapping several cards in turn and boarding when payment failed, and suspected deliberate fare evasion. Another said many drivers who do not speak English tell passengers to just get on, and that people seemed to be exploiting this; the commenter said they had seen similar scenes several times around Gwanghwamun. Another claimed that Reddit and TikTok circulate tips saying drivers look the other way or other passengers pay the fare. Asia Economy said the actual posts had not been found. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Some commenters proposed placing multilingual fare notices, such as English and Chinese, on buses and giving drivers guidance for unpaid fares. Dong-A Ilbo also cited a post in August on a bus drivers' online community asking how to deal with passengers who do not pay or foreign passengers who are hard to charge because of communication problems. Some drivers who replied said they would rather let passengers ride than create friction, while one said they had once not opened the door for a passenger getting off, and another said they usually ask for cash. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Asia Economy listed other recent accounts. These included a post on the 9th about a foreign family member boarding a Busan city bus despite a low-balance alert, a September post about three foreign passengers on the Route 101 bus from Jeju International Airport, and a post on the 8th of that month saying an Incheon airport bus departure was delayed because a foreign woman could not pay the 17,000 won fare. In that case, it said, another passenger lent the money. Newsis and Korea Economic Daily also mentioned the Jeju Route 101 controversy. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Asia Economy said that under current law, knowingly riding without paying can bring a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention or a minor fine under the Minor Offenses Punishment Act. It said habitual deception could amount to fraud, and bus companies can charge additional fares under their transport terms. It also noted an assessment that a handful of eyewitness accounts is not enough to say tourists of a particular nationality are doing this in an organised way. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The accounts have renewed calls for measures such as multilingual fare notices and guidance for drivers on unpaid fares. Asia Economy noted that a few eyewitness accounts are not enough to conclude that tourists of a particular nationality are doing this in an organised way.
Key facts
- A social media post dated the 19th said four foreign women on a Seoul city bus each tapped a transport card, heard "insufficient balance" each time, and boarded without paying; the driver did not stop them. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The poster said they protested to the women when getting off, and the women replied that they knew and appeared flustered. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Commenters described similar scenes, including one who said two Western women and one Western man tapped several cards in turn and boarded when payment failed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Some commenters proposed English and Chinese fare notices on buses and response guidelines for drivers on unpaid fares. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Newsis and Korea Economic Daily said a similar account had drawn controversy in September on the Route 101 bus from Jeju Airport. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Asia Economy said that, under current law, knowingly riding without paying can bring a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention or a minor fine under the Minor Offenses Punishment Act. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Newsis, Dong-A Ilbo, Korea Economic Daily and Asia Economy all reported a social media post about four foreign women boarding a Seoul city bus without paying despite "insufficient balance" alerts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The outlets report that commenters on the post shared similar accounts and proposed multilingual fare notices and driver guidelines. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Newsis and Korea Economic Daily both reported an earlier September controversy over foreign tourists on the Route 101 bus from Jeju Airport. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether tips on riding Korean buses for free are being shared on overseas social media such as Reddit and TikTok. This rests on a commenter's claim; Asia Economy said the actual posts were not found.
- Whether drivers knowingly let passengers ride because of language barriers. This comes from commenters' remarks; Dong-A Ilbo cited a driver community thread in which some drivers said they try to let passengers board rather than cause friction.
- Whether foreign tourists of any nationality are riding without paying in an organised way. Asia Economy said a few eyewitness accounts are not enough to conclude this.