Improving Route Efficiency with Introduction of Circular Bus in Old Downtown
Implementation of I-MOD and Establishment of Express Routes in Songdo and Cheongna
Expected 11% Reduction in Dispatch Intervals and 3.2% Decrease in Transfer Waiting Time
Incheon City held the 'City Bus Route Reorganization Service Report Meeting' on the 8th, attended by Mayor Park Nam-chun and others, to review the route reorganization scheduled for the end of this year. [Photo by Incheon City]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City will reorganize about half of all city bus routes by the end of this year. Prior to this, the city will hold explanatory meetings both online and offline to gather citizens' opinions.
The city announced on the 9th that due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the bus route reorganization originally scheduled for July will be implemented at the end of December.
The scale of the route reorganization prepared by the city involves adjusting 77 out of the total 197 city bus routes, discontinuing 27 routes, and establishing 28 new routes, resulting in an expected change of about 52.7%.
The route reorganization is characterized by improving route efficiency in the original downtown areas such as Jung-gu, Michuhol-gu, and Bupyeong-gu.
In Jung-gu, accessibility to Yeonan Port Passenger Terminal was improved, and access to the Airport Railroad was enhanced from the Yeongjong International City living area. Yeonsu-gu improved accessibility to Songdo 6th and 8th districts and the New International Passenger Terminal.
Dong-gu reinforced routes passing through Incheon Medical Center and Manseok-dong areas, while Michuhol-gu improved winding routes to shorten travel times and strengthened routes in newly occupied apartment areas.
Additionally, routes passing through Namchon Agricultural Wholesale Market, Seochang 2 District, Seowoon Industrial Complex, Cheongna International City, Geomdan area, and Bukhang hinterland were also strengthened.
The city designed the routes using scientific analysis methods based on big data, expecting the average bus dispatch interval to be reduced by 11% and transfer waiting time by 3.2%.
The city will also introduce lifestyle-oriented circular buses in the original downtown and new housing sites, which are underserved by public transportation.
For transportation-vulnerable groups in original downtown areas such as Dong-gu, Michuhol-gu, and Bupyeong-gu, the city plans to strengthen welfare routes connecting subways, traditional markets, and hospitals. For new housing districts including Geomdan, Cheongna, Seochang, Nonhyeon, and Songdo 6th and 8th districts, demand-customized circular buses will be newly established to facilitate smooth commuting and school travel for residents.
An express route connecting Songdo and Cheongna will also be newly created. This will reduce travel time from over 1 hour and 30 minutes using subway and bus to about 50 minutes.
Furthermore, the city plans to gradually introduce I-MOD (on-demand buses), which were piloted in the Yeongjong area, to public transportation vulnerable areas after 2021.
I-MOD is a system where passengers call a bus via an app, and the bus dynamically adjusts its route in real time to quickly reach the nearest stop where the passenger is waiting. In Yeongjong International City, eight 16-seat vehicles were piloted from December last year to March this year.
During the pilot operation, 12% of Yeongjong International City's population, totaling 12,045 people, used I-MOD 28,800 times, resulting in reductions of 5 minutes in public transportation waiting time and 9 minutes in travel time.
Meanwhile, ahead of the city bus route reorganization, the city will hold citizen explanatory meetings from the 13th to the 17th, visiting local districts and counties.
Starting with Michuhol-gu and Bupyeong-gu on the 13th, then Yeonsu-gu and Seo-gu on the 14th, Dong-gu and Namdong-gu on the 15th, Jung-gu (original downtown) and Yeongjongdo on the 16th, and finally Ganghwa-gun and Gyeyang-gu on the 17th.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting on-site attendance, the citizen explanatory meetings will also be live-streamed online. After the meetings, related videos and materials will be posted on the city’s website, and opinions on the route reorganization will be accepted.
Separately, the city plans to hold 40 'on-site visiting explanatory meetings' over two months starting from the 20th, targeting institutions and organizations.
Mayor Park Namchun stated, "The citizen explanatory meetings for route reorganization are an opportunity for citizens to evaluate the tasks Incheon City has prepared so far," adding, "We plan to implement the city bus route reorganization at the end of the year after collecting opinions through various channels such as online live streaming and on-site visiting explanatory meetings."
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