Seoul Transportation Corporation, Strictly Pursues Civil and Criminal Liability for Fare Dodgers

The Seoul Transportation Corporation has initiated strong measures against fare dodgers to establish order in subway use.

On the 30th, the Corporation announced its policy to hold fare offenders accountable for civil and criminal responsibilities.

Considering the crackdown results over the past three years, more than 56,000 fare evaders have been caught each year on average from 2022 to last year, with total fines exceeding 2.6 billion won.

In the first half of this year alone, approximately 27,000 cases of fare evasion were detected, resulting in the collection of 1.3 billion won in additional fares.

Major types of fare evasion include "undocumented entry" into the subway without a ticket, fraudulent use of discounted transportation cards for seniors (free rides), and improper usage of student discount tickets for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Especially this year, with the intensified crackdown on the fraudulent use of the Climate Companion Card, the number of violations has increased. From January to May, 3,950 cases of fare evasion related to the Climate Companion Card were detected, and about 190 million won in additional fares was collected.

Intensified Crackdown on Fraudulent Use of Climate Companion Card

Severe penalties for detected fare evasion

If caught fare dodging on the subway, one must pay the basic fare along with additional fare amounting to 30 times the basic fare, in accordance with the Railway Business Act and the Corporation's passenger transportation regulations.

In cases of prior fare evasion history, charges will be retroactively applied for previous uses.

If fare dodgers fail to pay the additional charges, they will face criminal complaints for fraud using computers under Article 347-2 of the Criminal Act, as well as charges for the improper use of facilities under Article 348-2. Additionally, the Corporation is collecting additional fares through civil lawsuits and enforced executions separate from the criminal complaints.

The Corporation has filed over 120 civil lawsuits against fare dodgers.

For instance, the Corporation filed a lawsuit against a man in his 40s who evaded fares 414 times last year and successfully got the Seoul Southern District Court to acknowledge an additional fare of over 18 million won.

From March to July last year, he used a senior discount card under his 67-year-old mother’s name for his commutes between Kkachisan Station, where he lived, and Gimpo Airport Station, where he worked, a total of 414 times. Employees at Kkachisan Station analyzed station computer records, identified him as a fare dodger, and billed him 18 million won for the additional fare.

Last year, the Corporation executed 22 civil lawsuits and over 40 enforced executions, and as of the 20th of this year, it is conducting 10 civil lawsuits and 10 enforced executions.

Various Measures to Prevent Fare Evasion

The Seoul Transportation Corporation is monitoring fare evaders through a transportation card usage history inquiry system and CCTV monitoring. Anticipating an increase in fraudulent use of the Climate Companion Card for youth, they have arranged for the gates to indicate purple when the youth card is used.

Additionally, they are planning to implement measures such as audio announcements for youth discounts and specific wording to deter fraudulent use when the youth card is in operation.

To prevent multiple individuals from sharing the Climate Companion Card, they are considering measures such as sound announcements upon reuse at the same station, enhanced CCTV monitoring, and displaying different colors based on the cardholder's gender.

In the future, the Corporation plans to propose amendments to the Railway Business Act to potentially increase the current additional fare from 30 times to 50 times.

Ma Hae-geun, head of the Business Division at Seoul Transportation Corporation, stated, "We hope awareness spreads that fare evasion is a clear criminal act, leading to the use of legitimate tickets and the eradication of fare evasion."

Image source: Supplementary photos for understanding the article / News1, photo = Insight, News1