::A Geek in Korea::

Our goal as a couple at this point is to save as much money as possible. We are trying to save somewhere over 50% of our salary each month. This is on top of the new expenses we have encountered since renting our own apartment for the first time. Adding private insurance, rent, food and transportation costs to the bills, and we’ve been working hard to keep our bank accounts steadily on the increase at the desirable rate. Every little bit can help.

One of the easy ways to cut down on the cost of transportation is something we just learned this week. My wife works across town. If the subway was finished to our neighborhood she would have a nice, cheap way to get to work. As of now, she can either take a bus all the way to work and waste what can be upwards of an hour as the bus negotiates traffic, or take the nearest subway stop to work and arrive in less than 10 mintues. The nearest subway stop is on a bus line, but only five minutes away. Even if she waits for a bus, transfers to the subway system, and waits for the subway, she will still be getting to work faster. She was reluctant to take the faster form of transportation thinking it would double her spending per month just trying to get to work.

We found out that there is a solution built into the transit system for people exactly like us. The Daejeon city metro buses and subway use the same debt card style payment systems. The smart cards not only track how much money you have in your account, but also the kind of transportation you are using, and deducts points from your account automatically. They also give a modest discount on every fare.

The cool thing is this: If you transfer from a bus to subway in under 30 minutes, the system won’t charge you full price. Instead you will be charged a "Transfer" fee fare. The cost of a transfer free for the bus and subway cost only as much as a "luxury" bus instead double the fare. This amounts to a 40% savings for people that take a bus to get to the subway. 40% savings for faster, nicer, safer transportation? That’s a pretty good deal. It’s much better than taking any bus downtown, or riding in a "luxury" bus the entire way.

My transportation fee has been cut in half as well with a better schedule. I used to need to go across town twice a day. Once for morning classes and again for classes spread across the afternoon. I’ve blocked all my schedule up now so that I can go to work, remain at work, and get everything done without leaving once I get there. The amount of fighting and complaining it took to get my first decent schedule in five years was worth it, as I’m pocketing considerable money after all my taxi fees and bus fares are added up. Not only that, I can ride a bus home from work instead of getting caught in rush hour traffic. Once the subway gets it’s line finish, I’ll even be able to cut down on the taxi trips I take and commute underground exclusively.

Lowered costs and increased convenience? Awesome.