Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lizzie hong]

The only time I have gotten charged for the 1600w is when I don't swipe out. Make it sure takes. Sometimes it doesn't on the first try and you'll get the extra charge next time.

[spliff]

There must be a reason I don't use my Sammy card for bus fare, but I forgot what is was. Glad I have the good ole bus token to fall back on.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

[spliff]

But I never get called TROLL on a regular basis.

[mateomiguel]

If you get on the subway, get off the subway, and get on the bus using the same card it doesn't charge you more money. HOWEVER, after that you gotta swipe the card when you get off the bus so you can stop the discount chain.

If you don't swipe the card when you get off the bus the card assumes that you've been on the bus from that point until the next time you swipe it. If its 16 or 24 hours it will charge you the full price for the bus.

[icicle]

I had the same problem part way through last year ... And for some time couldn't work out why it has suddenly started doing to me using T-Card what you have described and I had never been swiping it on exit ... But I think eventually I found out that and some stage last year the need to swipe on exit became necessary in Gyeonggi when they linked the Gyenggi bus fares to the subway/Seoul bus network for fare calcuations so that the you could get on and off buses and subway as part of one trip and be charged for the trip as one ... rather than as multiple shorter trips reducing the cost of that longer trip ... So quick changes between modes of transport can count as part of the same trip and you are charged for total distance travelled ... But for it to work you must swipe when you exit each mode of transport ... If you haven't then it does penalise you the next time you travel and swipe the card ... Because the system does not know when you actually got off (finished the journey) the last time you travelled. It had been part of the Seoul transport network for some time but Gyeonggi travel was treated separately before the fares were integrated with the Seoul system last year. I missed the change when it happened because like all changes on the buses nothing was ever published in English ... It took quite a while for jme to work out what had suddenly gone wrong.

Icicle

[ricky_lamour]

Some buses charge different rates. Express vs local. Even on the same routes. Could that be it?

[spliff]

So Squirrel's not swiping...I hope at least he's wiping. Funny though, I saw a whole group of mentally challenged folk exit the bus I was on last week and they were all very careful about swiping their cards.

[orosee]

Huh, I'm confused now. Do I get a discount on a connecting trip (bus, subway) if I DO swipe the card on exit, or if I DON'T?

Also quite often it is simply impossible to swipe when 2 dozen people want to get out, there is only one machine to swipe and the bus driver is in a hurry to close the rear exit door.

What really sucks is that some subway stations allow you to change platforms without leaving "the system" - useful if you overslept/over-texed/over-absence-of-minded your correct stop and have to track back a station or two. Yeoksam station is one example where you can pay twice should that happen.

[eamo]

I've been told to always swipe. Always.

[icicle]

You do need to swipe on exit ... I have seen locals getting in to swipe their card as soon as it has gone past the stop before their stop ... The times I was hit with the extra charge were always when I had not swiped the card either because I didn't know I needed to or forgot ...

[Binch Lover]

What are you people talking about???

You only need to swipe getting out if you TRANSFER. Otherwise, there's no need. I've been doing this day in day out for the last 15 months and haven't had a problem. It charges me 900 each time (I only take 1 bus).

[Ut videam]

That's absolutely not true, Binch Lover.

The base bus fare is 900 won with the card, but there's a surcharge if you travel over a certain distance. You must swipe at the exit door in order to ensure that you're charged properly.

There are warning signs on many of the buses (only in Korean, alas) warning of the penalty if you fail to swipe upon exiting.

[icicle]

[Ut videam]

Here is the posting, from the eB Card (Gyeonggi-do transportation card) website (http://www.ebcard.co.kr, listed under "ebcard notice" on the first page) about the 700-won penalty for failing to tag your card when exiting a bus: