Jeju Island Breaks New Ground With South Korea’s First Card-and-device Tap Payment System On Public Buses

Published on August 14, 2025

Jeju Island has taken a decisive leap toward smarter recreation by launching an open-loop costs strategy for nationalist buses — nan first of its benignant successful South Korea. The upgrade allows passengers, including millions of yearly world visitors, to salary fares instantly by tapping their ain contactless slope cards aliases compatible smart devices, removing nan request for abstracted transit passes aliases cash.

With this work now active, travelers tin committee by simply tapping a Visa, Mastercard, aliases different EMV-supported credit, debit, aliases prepaid card. The exertion besides useful pinch mobile wallets connected smartphones and wearable devices specified arsenic smartwatches, making payments faster and much elastic for a divers scope of passengers.

At nan bosom of nan strategy is nan EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) world costs standard. This wide adopted model has transformed nationalist carrier successful awesome world cities by enabling secure, quick, and cash-free boarding. By embracing EMV, Jeju ensures that visitors tin usage nan aforesaid costs methods they trust connected astatine home, avoiding nan communal recreation situation of learning caller fare systems aliases exchanging rate for short trips.

The island’s determination to adopt open-loop exertion follows a statement signed earlier this twelvemonth pinch world costs providers to grow its contactless infrastructure. The semipermanent imagination is to make Jeju’s carrier web much accessible to some section residents and nan increasing number of overseas tourists.

Similar systems person already revolutionized proscription successful world hubs specified arsenic London, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In these cities, open-loop payments person reduced queues astatine summons counters, eliminated nan request for reloadable transit cards, and sped up boarding times during highest hours. Collectively, these systems person processed complete 2 cardinal rides worldwide, pinch usage much than doubling since 2022 — impervious of nan accelerating displacement toward cashless, card-based transit access.

For Jeju, nan benefits widen good beyond convenience. The land is simply a UNESCO-listed destination celebrated for its volcanic landscapes, waterfalls, and coastal scenery. Tourism is 1 of its superior economical drivers, and improving accessibility is cardinal to sustaining growth. With nan open-loop system, a visitant stepping disconnected a formation aliases ferry tin instantly usage nan aforesaid costs paper they usage successful their location state to navigate nan island’s buses — nary other mentation needed.

Local commuters are group to use too. Contactless costs reduces boarding times, easing congestion and making services much punctual. Transport operators tin besides usage costs information (while maintaining privacy) to way demand, set routes, and amended scheduling, yet raising nan ratio of nan full network.

The task supports South Korea’s broader push toward integer transformation, smart metropolis integration, and a cashless economy. If Jeju’s implementation proves successful, it could go nan blueprint for different South Korean cities looking to modernize their ain transit costs systems. This would beryllium peculiarly valuable for travelers moving betwixt aggregate destinations wrong nan country, creating a seamless nationwide costs experience.

For tourists, nan alteration intends much clip enjoying nan island’s attractions and little clip worrying astir transit logistics. Whether riding from Jeju City to Seongsan Ilchulbong astatine sunrise, visiting Hallasan National Park, aliases hopping betwixt coastal villages, passengers tin now salary for each travel pinch a speedy pat — nary summons purchases, nary section currency, nary delays.

By merging precocious world costs exertion pinch its nationalist carrier network, Jeju Island is positioning itself arsenic a forward-thinking, traveler-friendly destination. This translator doesn’t conscionable amended really group move crossed nan land — it sets a caller modular for convenience, efficiency, and accessibility successful South Korea’s proscription landscape.