Seoul City's Plan to Restrict Bus Entry Met with Strong Opposition from Gyeonggi Province

Gyeonggi Province has mounted strong opposition to Seoul City's plan to restrict buses from Gyeonggi Province and Incheon from entering Seoul.

Choi Seung-dae, Director of the Construction and Transportation Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, held a press conference on the 16th and said, "Seoul City's restriction on buses from Gyeonggi and Incheon entering Seoul is a clear legal violation and represents Seoul-centric regionalism. We will mobilize all necessary measures to block this," he stated.

Director Choi added, "Adjustments to inter-city wide-area bus routes require consultation between the Gyeonggi governor and the Seoul mayor, and changes to route-related implementation rules must be amended by the Minister of Construction and Transportation. If buses from Gyeonggi and Incheon are prevented from entering Seoul, it will only increase private vehicle usage and create even greater inconvenience," he emphasized.

According to the Passenger Vehicle Transport Service Business Act's implementation rules, buses crossing inter-provincial boundaries can operate within a range not exceeding 30 kilometers from the administrative boundary. Should this be changed, the relevant provincial governors' consultation is required before the Ministry of Construction and Transportation amends the implementation rules.

Earlier, Seoul City announced it would pursue amending regulations to allow Seoul buses and Gyeonggi and Incheon buses to extend operations only 5 to 10 kilometers into each other's administrative areas beyond the provincial boundary, drawing complaints from passengers who travel between the two regions using buses.