Seoul shares integrated transportation system policy with Bogotá, Colombia

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, for a next-generation integrated transportation system consulting project for all modes of transportation that includes bus, subway, and cable car. Following a visit to Seoul by Bogotá Mayor Claudia López last year where she held one-on-one meetings with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, discussions began for a project between Seoul and Bogotá focused on desired policy exchange between the two cities. Bogotá’s current bus rapid transit (BRT) system is the city’s primary mode of transportation, but it plans to expand methods moving forward, such as subway, elevated trains, and light rail. Through this project, Seoul intends to actively share its roughly 20 years of policy experience, including the city’s integrated fares and free transfer system. This project follows previous active exchange of transportation policy between the two cities, with Seoul emulating Bogotá’s BRT system in 2004 as it implemented its central bus lane system and exporting its transportation card system to Bogotá in 2011. On June 23, the vice president of TransMilenio, Bogotá’s transportation corporation, and the president of Agata, a data analysis institution, visited Seoul as part of a delegation from Bogotá to hold detailed discussions on the project. In addition, Seoul is actively pursuing projects to export its transportation policies given its status as a world class transportation system. In 2008, Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, received exports of the Tmoney smart card system for its buses, which was then expanded to all rail lines in 2022. This year, the Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA)* will create a master plan for the construction of a smart transportation system for Makati, a high-class satellite city near Manila, capital of the Philippines. * Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA): A special organization created in 2015 to systematically share the city’s experience and know-how in successful urban operations with overseas cities and provide support for private companies to expand overseas through urban diplomacy. In addition, Seoul has been lauded for its excellent public transportation that represents Asia and serves as the presiding chair of the International Association of Public Transport Asia-Pacific Organising Authorities Platform (UITP AP OAP). Starting this year, the city was concurrently appointed to the UITP Policy Board and is actively pursuing building an international cooperation network focused on transportation policy. The city official said, “Seoul has been recognized worldwide for its excellent transportation system, and it will serve as a bridgehead for private companies to actively expand overseas.”