Public+Transportation

=Public Transportation Around Daegu:=

During your stay in Korea you will end up taking the public transportation to get around for the most part. Consider purchasing a **public transportation card** (교통카드) for convenience, and you will get a discount on every ride, and can be used on either the bus or the subway.



For adults, fare paid in cash is 1,200 won and fare paid with the public transportation card is 1,100 won. If you transfer within 30 minutes after getting off a bus or subway, the transfer is free (only when you use the public transportation card). For this reason, you must scan your public transportation card when you get off a bus as well. You can buy these cards at Daegu Bank, stands next to bus stops, or at designated subway stations for 2,000 won. Daegu Bank branches and some stands next to bus stops sell miniature cards as a cell phone accessory for 5,000 won to 7,000 won depending on the design. Cards can be charged and/or re-charged at Daegu Bank ATMs, stands next to bus stops or at any subway station.

Some banks offer the option of linking your check card to a transportation card. This is an incredibly convenient option. Please discuss the details with your bank to see if it's available.

__The Subway __



The subway in Daegu is literally 2 lines that form a cross at "Banwoldang Station." It would take approximately an hour to ride one line from one end to the other. In order to ride the subway, you have to tap your transportation card while going in and on your way out at the turnstiles. You can purchase single ride tokens at any automated machine (usually has an English option). You need to tap the token on your way in, and then insert the token into the slot on the way out. You can transfer to a bus for free within 30 minutes of getting off the train (when using a transportation card).

__The Bus__ Daegu has a really great bus system, it just takes some getting used to! The hardest part of using the bus system is that everything is mostly in Korean (however, most buses have a ticker that shows the next and following stops, and those are usually in English). Additionally, each stop now has a map showing the route the bus takes, along with which direction that particular bus will be going (marked with an arrow on the route map - VERY important!). Additionally, most bus stops now have an electronic board that tells you the approximate arrival times of each bus that services that stop. The "급행" (Geup-Haeng) buses are express buses. They cost a little more, but they are very fast, since they make less frequent stops. If you see a bus with a "- 1" (dash 1) at the end of the bus number, that indicates that the bus only goes in one direction. So for instance, there is a 410 bus AND a 410-1 bus. The 410 will go to the end of it route and then double back. The 410-1 bus will only do the route in one direction, continuously.

The best way to search bus routes is either on Naver or Google maps. However, it is best to type in Korean when using either of these websites.

__Taxis__
 * Taxis ** are relatively cheap in Korea. The basic fare for a 10 minute ride is about 2,400 won. However, telling a cab driver where you want to go might be a challenge in the beginning. It might be best to carry with you a small piece of paper that has your home address and landmark in Korean so you can simply show it to the cab driver. Ask your co-teacher to print out a sheet of labels with your address in Korean. This may also come in handy when you are filling out applications at the bank, hospital, immigration office, fitness center, etc.
 * Also, taxis don't usually do well with specific addresses. You'll find that it works much better if you use landmarks to tell your cab-driver where you'd like to go (for example: "Lotte Department Store," or "Across the street from Homeplus, Chilsung").