Commuting Between Suwon and Seoul Made Easy with 100% Pre-Booked 'Regional Call Buses'

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Commuting to Seoul from Suwon via 'call bus' service is expected to become possible in the future.

Gyeonggi Province and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 14th that they will pilot an 'on-demand regional transit service regional call bus' starting in the second half of this year between Seoul and six cities: Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Siheung, Paju, and Gwangju.

Regional call buses are flexible transportation services that respond to passenger requests (including advance reservations) without fixed routes or predetermined operation schedules.

This project is expected to increase travel convenience for Gyeonggi Province residents commuting to Seoul.

Oh After-suk, Executive Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the mayors of six cities (Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Siheung, Paju, and Gwangju) signed a 'regional call bus' business agreement containing these details at Sangam DMC Tower in Sangam-dong, Seoul on that day.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will handle coordination among agreement agencies and related organizations, Gyeonggi Province will cooperate in technology development for applying the metropolitan area integrated transfer discount system, and the six cities will directly handle technical and administrative support necessary for regional call bus operations, selection of operators through limited license issuance, and overall regional call bus operations.

Regional call buses refer to on-demand responsive transport (DRT, Demand Responsive Transport) services that provide cross-regional transit services between two or more cities or provinces.

The pilot project period is 18 months from the operation start date in each region.

Fares are identical to the current metropolitan express buses (M-buses) (basic fare of 2,800 won with additional distance-based charges applied).

The operation method initially involves 100% advance reservation on a weekly or monthly basis during the early stages of the pilot project, with requests (advance reservations) only available in the vicinity of departure points.

Initial routes by region are: Suwon (Dangsu 1·2 Districts ↔ Sadang Station), Hwaseong (Dongtan 1·2 Neighborhoods ↔ Sadang Station), Siheung (Sihwa MTV ↔ Sadang Station), Paju (Unjeong District ↔ Sangam DMC), Yongin (Golim District ↔ Yangjae Station), and Gwangju (Sinhyun Neighborhood ↔ Yangjae Station).

Service areas and business routes may be expanded during the project period.

Gyeonggi Province plans to carefully analyze the outcomes of this pilot project and, if it determines that travel convenience has been significantly improved, will work with cities and counties to expand it into a full-scale service.

The Metropolitan Area Wide Transit Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has been promoting the 'Practical Technology Development for On-Demand Regional Mobility Services in Metropolitan Areas' project since April 2022 to address commuting issues for Gyeonggi Province residents, such as insufficient regional bus routes and standing bans.

The contractors include the Korea Transport Institute, with private companies Kakao Mobility Co., Ltd. and Studio Galilei Co., Ltd. handling technology development including app development necessary for regional call bus operations.

The province, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Wide Transit Committee and the Korea Transport Institute, selected six cities including Suwon as final candidates through a pilot project site selection competition held in February.