These days, the rate of cash use by city bus passengers is decreasing. It costs a lot of money to manage fare collection boxes compared to the low amount of cash required for the passengers to pay the bus fares. So, cashless buses that remove cash boxes and only can use transportation cards are already operating in several cities.

    In Daejeon, cashless buses have been expanded to all routes. The city said that through cashless buses, people who were vulnerable to transportation can now benefit from fee discounts and free transfers. They also said that it can improve the operational environment for the bus. But many people expressed their displeasure, saying that buses are now rejecting cash payment options. The choice of people who want to pay in cash should also be respected.

    As a supplement to the abolition of cash payments, a QR code is installed at bus stops so that bus passengers can buy mobile transportation cards immediately. And if passengers don’t have any payment methods, they can use their accounts to transfer bus fares. But I don’t think that it is appropriate for children and seniors who are unfamiliar with digital technologies and unfamiliar with using mobile transportation cards. It also makes it a more difficult situation for people who do not have bank accounts. I think this policy is not for all our society’s members. We must consider these people.

    Expanding cashless buses can be a natural phenomenon. Because there are many digital developments in our society. But there are a lot of digitally vulnerable people. I think governments need to develop more effective countermeasures that prevent the digital vulnerable from being alienated.

By Lee Chae-yeon, Sophomore, Faculty of Business Administration