542 buses — 20% of city fleet — to go cashless through year-end; alternative payment options to be provided for digitally vulnerable riders
![A promotional poster draft for Busan's cashless bus pilot program [Busan city government]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/31/news-p.v1.20260831.d162f1d1711f470fbcf35d8cb4df3eae_P1.png)
Busan will run a three-month cashless bus pilot program starting in October, the city government announced Monday. The move follows a steady decline in cash payments on city buses, with most riders now using prepaid or postpaid transit cards.
Despite falling cash ridership, the city has continued to spend manpower and money maintaining fare boxes and counting cash receipts, prompting calls to overhaul the fare collection system. In response, the city plans to launch the cashless pilot on routes with the lowest cash usage rates, then gather feedback from riders and frontline staff to refine the system before any broader rollout.
The pilot will cover 542 buses across 35 routes — including seated express buses and lines with relatively low cash usage — accounting for 20 percent of the city's total bus fleet. The city plans to analyze passenger complaints, alternative payment uptake among cash users, input from drivers and operators, and the volume of grievances filed, then address any gaps before deciding on a full citywide rollout.
Minimizing inconvenience for digitally vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly, is the city's top priority. The city will prepare alternative payment options and run advance public awareness campaigns in parallel. Passengers carrying only cash will be allowed to board first, with the option to pay the fare later via bank transfer.
The city will also run transit card distribution campaigns at traditional markets and other areas with high foot traffic among older residents. Intensive promotional efforts — through posters inside and outside buses and across various media — will ensure riders are well informed about which routes are included and how to use the new system.
The city expects a transit-card-centered fare collection system to yield more accurate ridership data, which would in turn support data-driven bus route management. "During the pilot period, we will gather ample feedback from citizens and frontline workers, and minimize any inconvenience from the system change through thorough advance notice," said Hwang Hyeon-cheol, director of the city's transportation innovation bureau.
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
