Suwon's Bike-Sharing Service to Resume Operations in June

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon City will resume its 'station-free unmanned bike-sharing service' as early as June.

The city signed a 'Suwon-style Unmanned Bike-Sharing Business Partnership Memorandum of Understanding' with KT and Omni System on the 28th, and agreed to cooperate actively in advancing the project. Due to COVID-19, the memorandum was exchanged in writing.

Through this agreement, the city can resume its 'station-free unmanned bike-sharing service' business. The city introduced bike-sharing through private sector operations in January 2018, but operations ended on September 30 last year due to circumstances of the operating company.

The unmanned bike-sharing system requires no bike docking stations or unmanned information kiosks. Using smartphones, users can easily rent and return GPS-equipped bicycles at bike parking spaces throughout the city.

Starting in June, the city plans to pilot operate 1,000 unmanned rental bikes, and add 2,000 bikes in the second half of the year, operating a total of 3,000 bikes by year's end.

According to the memorandum of understanding, the city will expand infrastructure including bike parking lots and dedicated bike lanes necessary for the unmanned bike-sharing business, and will actively promote the service to ensure stable operation.

KT will develop wireless communication services, locking devices, and the unmanned bike-sharing platform.

Omni System will oversee overall operation of the unmanned bike-sharing service and handle bicycle maintenance and reallocation tasks.

With the participation of KT, which possesses advanced IoT (Internet of Things) and 5G technology, and Omni System, a specialist in integrated control systems, the unmanned bike-sharing business can secure technological capability and stability.

The city, KT, and Omni System plan to continue discussions on detailed operational plans, including usage fee calculations.

A city official stated, "We will systematically prepare the project so that citizens who have been waiting for the resumption of unmanned bike-sharing operations will be satisfied," adding "We will make efforts to resume bike-sharing services, which have established themselves as an eco-friendly transportation option, as quickly as possible."