• Annual ridership explodes by 204 times since launching from 200,000 to 41,000,000
• Popular mode of transportation for short distance rides and last mile commutes
• Over 80% of riders use season passes, steadily rising over the past three years

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced that as of the end of April 2023, the number of Ttareungi rentals have exceeded 140 million and the cumulative travel distance of Ttareungi rides has surpassed 387,000,000 km. Assuming that the shortest stretch between the earth and the moon is 380,000 km, the cumulative figure is equivalent to about 510 round trips.

The number of annual Ttareungi rentals has burgeoned even through the pandemic, totaling at 40,950,000 in 2022 from 32,050,000 in 2021, which is a 27.7% increase. Compared to 200,000 during a test operation in 2011, the figure has skyrocketed by 204 times. As of January this year, in particular, the average number of daily rentals in off-peak winter months exceeded 50,000, establishing itself as a popular mode of transportation for short distance rides and last mile commutes rather than being used for either hobby or leisure.

Ttareungi was first operated on trial during Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s term of office in the end of 2010. The public bike rental system first operated with 440 bikes across 44 rental stations covering areas from Yeouido to Sangam. In 2015, the system took on its official name “Ttareungi” and the number of bikes and stations surged to 2,000 and 150, respectively, located across five main hubs in Seoul (i.e. around the four main city gates, Yeouido, Sangam, Sinchon, and Seongsu-dong). It has since positioned itself as a representative public bike share program that has sustained to this day.

When it comes to the ratio of season pass purchases during last three years from 2020, the purchase has experienced substantial increment from 74.8% in 2020 to 77.9% in 2021 and 80.3% in 2022. The result conveys that the number of regular customers is on the rise. In the non-peak month of January this year, the number of season pass purchases accounted for 88.3% at 1,380,000 of the total 1,570,000 rentals.

The number of rental by foreign nationals totaled 49,905 in 2022, a 167% increase compared to the figure at 18,693 in the previous year. The 2022 statistics also resulted in 85 percent surge from the figure at 26,970 in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

In an effort to boost efficiency of bike relocation this year, the city has augmented personnel in 220 rental stations designated for intensive management. In order to bolster efficiency of bike maintenance and regional co-prosperity, Seoul is planning to focus on its maintenance efforts by linking two additional community self-support centers. Moreover, the city is striving on to diversify its profit structure by expanding season pass solely designed for companies, as well as support the blind by conducting a full-fledged inspection of raised blocks by rental stations.