Water bills, taxi fares and EV charging added as eligible uses

Applications accepted through Dec. 15; vouchers valid through June 30 next year

A promotional poster for Busan's energy voucher support program for small business owners [Busan city government]
A promotional poster for Busan's energy voucher support program for small business owners [Busan city government]

Busan city announced Thursday it will expand the range of eligible uses under its energy voucher support program for small business owners and extend both the application and usage periods, aiming to ease operating costs and improve convenience for local businesses.

The application deadline has been extended to Dec. 15, and vouchers may now be used through June 30, 2027.

Previously limited to electricity bills and vehicle fuel costs — including gasoline, diesel and LPG — the vouchers can now also be used for water bills, electric vehicle charging fees and taxi fares. The expansion is expected to benefit small business owners who do not own vehicles. The city signed an MOU with EV charging operator Nice Charger and plans to allow voucher payments at its charging stations starting Monday.

The application period was originally set to close Friday, and vouchers were originally valid only through the end of this year. Both deadlines have now been pushed back to Dec. 15 and June 30, 2027, respectively.

The city has been distributing energy vouchers worth 200,000 won ($149) per person to Busan-based small business owners through the Dongbaekjeon policy subsidy system since Sept. 28. Eligible recipients are small business owners with a place of business in Busan whose annual revenue does not exceed 300 million won. The vouchers can be used at designated locations.

"We hope the expanded eligible uses and extended deadlines will allow more small business owners to use the energy vouchers conveniently and reduce their operating burden," said Park Dong-seok, director of the city's Citizen Economy Bureau, urging those who have not yet applied to do so before the deadline.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com