Free Transfers Between the Seoul Subway and Bus
CONNECT ON Inc. · How we verify · sources read SEP 6, 2026
Highlights
The short answer
If you're moving between 서울교통공사 (Seoul Metro) subway lines and city buses on a transportation card, here is how the transfer discount works for you: Up to four transfers are allowed per trip, each within 30 minutes (within one hour between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.); transferring to the same bus route is not permitted. Re-swiping the same transportation card within 15 minutes at the same station avoids a second base fare. Transfer between bus and subway is free up to 10km, and up to 30km for Seoul metropolitan, Gyeonggi Express and Nonstop, and Incheon Express and metropolitan buses; the highest basic fare among the modes used is applied This applies to any traveler using a rechargeable card rather than a single-journey ticket, since only the card carries the transfer discount, and the free-transfer distance cap differs by which bus type is involved. Checked against Seoul Metro's own fare guidance.
Getting Around · Subway · Bus · TaxiPhotograph: K Travel Way
A transportation card turns the 서울교통공사 (Seoul Metro) subway and city buses into one connected network, as long as each leg of the trip is tapped within the transfer window below.
How many transfers am I allowed, and how much time do I have?
Up to four transfers are allowed per trip, each within 30 minutes (within one hour between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.); transferring to the same bus route is not permitted. Re-swiping the same transportation card within 15 minutes at the same station avoids a second base fare.
The count and the timer both reset once a fresh trip starts, so a full day of sightseeing can involve several separate transfer sequences rather than one continuous one.
Which fares actually stay free across the transfer?
Transfer between bus and subway is free up to 10km, and up to 30km for Seoul metropolitan, Gyeonggi Express and Nonstop, and Incheon Express and metropolitan buses; the highest basic fare among the modes used is applied
In practice this means the card is only ever charged once for the whole connected journey, at whichever single mode in the chain has the highest base fare.
What if I miss the transfer window?
Missing the window means the next tap starts a fresh trip, and the base fare is charged again as if the earlier ride had never happened. Up to four transfers are allowed per trip, each within 30 minutes (within one hour between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.); transferring to the same bus route is not permitted. Re-swiping the same transportation card within 15 minutes at the same station avoids a second base fare. sets exactly this cutoff, and it runs longer overnight than during the day — worth remembering on a late return from dinner or a show.
Questions people ask
Can I use the free transfer discount with a single-journey paper ticket?
No. The free transfer window only applies to a rechargeable transportation card. A single-journey ticket or a commuter ticket does not carry a transfer discount.
Does the free transfer work between two different bus routes, or only bus to subway?
It covers transfers between different bus routes and between bus and subway alike, charged at the highest base fare among the modes used. Transferring back onto the same bus route is not covered.
Sources
Related pages
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