CRI

 [ABSTRACT]

The launch of the Chungcheong Inter-Regional Association marks a national-level experiment to integrate the Chungcheong region into a single living and economic zone, and represents the beginning of a new governance framework for institutionalizing supra-regional cooperation. Despite this shift, the region’s public transportation system remains fragmented along administrative boundaries. The pace of metropolitan living-zone expansion has outstripped the institutional integration of public transport services, fare systems, and transfer mechanisms. Although inter-regional travel has grown rapidly along key corridors such as the Daejeon–Sejong, Sejong–Cheongju, and Daejeon–Cheonan/Asan corridors, the absence of a unified mobility system has continued to reinforce a high dependence on private automobiles. This study seeks to address these structural challenges and to propose the introduction of the Chungcheong Supra-Regional Mobility Pass (C-PASS) as a flagship, citizen-centered mobility initiative following the establishment of the Chungcheong Inter-Regional Association. The C-PASS is conceptualized as an upper-level integrated mobility platform that redefines the entire Chungcheong region as a single mobility area and provides predictable fares, consistent service standards, and an integrated settlement system for inter-regional travel. In doing so, it occupies a distinct policy position compared with existing local or national mobility pass programsDrawing on analyses of domestic and international pass systems and integrated settlement mechanisms, assessments of travel behavior in the Chungcheong region, and reviews of fare and operational system structures, this study presents a coherent framework encompassing the need for the C-PASS (WHY), its conceptual definition (WHAT), its operational design (HOW), and a phased implementation strategy (WHEN). Notably, the study proposes a minimal-change implementation strategy that leverages the existing transport card settlement system, a governance evolution centered on a proposed Chungcheong Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and a long-term expansion pathway incorporating rail, intercity buses, and express buses—demonstrating that the C-PASS can evolve into the core platform underpinning Chungcheong’s integrated regional mobility system. The C-PASS is not merely a fare-support policy but a strategic instrument for integrating the spatial, functional, and economic structures of the Chungcheong region. It holds strong potential to serve as a flagship initiative that delivers tangible outcomes for residents and embodies the policy value of the Chungcheong Inter-Regional Association. The policy directions and operational framework proposed in this study provide a critical foundation for the future transformation of the region’s mobility system and the nstitutionalization of supra-regional cooperation.