Gyeonggi Province Converts All 'Gyeonggi Public Bus' Routes from Joint Revenue Management Semi-Public Operation System

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 25th that it has established countermeasures for stable operation of wide-area buses as the government's 'Wide-area Bus Semi-Public Operation Project' has progressed slower than initially planned.

As a follow-up measure to the 'Joint Revenue Management Semi-Public Operation System Suspension' announced last July, from August this year, 71 wide-area bus routes and 610 buses will be converted to 'Gyeonggi Public Bus,' and the transfer of national affairs will be pursued from next year onwards.

Additionally, the province plans to establish all 18 routes targeted under the government's wide-area bus semi-public operation project this year as new 'Gyeonggi Public Bus' routes, selecting new routes through recruitment and evaluation by cities and counties.

Park Tae-hwan, Director of the Transportation Bureau, held an online press conference at the Northern Government Building of Gyeonggi Province this morning and announced the "2021 'Gyeonggi Public Bus' Conversion and New Route Recruitment Plan Following Joint Revenue Management Semi-Public Operation System Suspension."

Director Park Tae-hwan stated, "The government's 'Wide-area Bus Semi-Public Operation Project,' which was promised as a condition for bus fare increases, is not being promoted as planned due to the Ministry of Economy and Finance's non-compliance with budget burden agreements," and added, "If the existing joint revenue management semi-public operation routes revert to private operation, they may face service suspension, and while financial burden will increase, Gyeonggi Province has established the principle of 'first self-conversion, then national transfer' to take preemptive measures to resolve residents' inconvenience with public transportation and ensure stable wide-area bus operations."

To this end, the province will follow procedures including bid announcements in April, operator selection, license issuance, and operational preparation, beginning service from August 1st. The total project cost is estimated at approximately 23.1 billion won, with provincial budget of 6.9 billion won required.

Director Park then stated, "To address the rapidly increasing wide-area transportation demand in urban development areas and contribute to balanced development of the province, we will coordinate with the government to establish 18 new routes through the 'Wide-area Bus Semi-Public Operation Project' this year and select routes through city/county recruitment."

The province will conduct city/county recruitment from April, narrowing down to 27 routes at 1.5 times the number, and the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee will ultimately select 18 routes. Following bid processes and limited license issuance, the plan is to begin operation as 'Gyeonggi Public Bus' in the second half of the year.

'Gyeonggi Public Bus' is one of Governor Lee Jae-myung's transportation sector pledges during his seventh term of office to "realize a Gyeonggi Province where public transportation is more convenient than private vehicles," and is being implemented for the first time in the nation based on limited licenses and route bidding systems for a new bus semi-public operation model.

Unlike the joint revenue management semi-public operation system where bus companies own permanent licenses, the public owns route rights and delegates operational authority to transport operators selected through open competitive bidding for a specified period, simultaneously strengthening both publicness and convenience.

Currently, 'Gyeonggi Public Bus' operates 137 routes with 1,350 buses.

Director Park concluded by stating, "Gyeonggi Public Bus has become a national standard adopted by the government itself, transforming irrationality into rationality and unfairness into fairness in the bus system, and will continue to serve as the residents' means of transportation, doing our utmost to create a convenient and pleasant transportation environment centered on people."