Gyeonggi-do Launches Initiative to Establish Metropolitan Operation System for Special Transportation Services

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is set to establish a metropolitan integrated operation system for 'special transportation vehicles' equipped with wheelchair devices and other equipment.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 9th that from 2018 to 2020, it invested a total of 258.1 billion KRW, including city and county funds, to secure 1,101 special transportation vehicles, and it is expected to easily reach the target of securing 1,116 vehicles by the end of this year.

Special transportation vehicles refer to vehicles equipped with devices such as wheelchairs to support the mobility of transportation-vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and pregnant women, according to the "Act on the Promotion of Convenience for Transportation Vulnerable Persons."

The province plans not only to secure special transportation vehicles but also to establish a metropolitan integrated operation system for these vehicles by next year.

Once this system is established, it will improve the efficiency of operating special transportation vehicles, and the operational area, currently limited to 12 cities and counties within the province, will expand to cover the entire metropolitan area, thereby enhancing mobility convenience for transportation-vulnerable groups.

To this end, the province will cooperate with 31 cities and counties to strengthen the connectivity of the computerized operation system and will also work on revising operational standards such as operational areas, eligible users, and fares, which are currently set by ordinances in each city and county.

Additionally, to ensure more substantial operation, external advisory members including transportation and IT system experts and provincial assembly members will be appointed to gather opinions.

For the detailed promotion of this project, the province will hold a general meeting on the 10th of this month at Dasan Hall in the Gyeonggi Human Resources Development Institute, where experts and city and county team leaders will gather.

A provincial official emphasized, "The expansion and metropolitan operation of special transportation vehicles have been a long-standing wish of transportation-vulnerable residents in the province," adding, "We will seek ways to maximize effectiveness based on limited resources through close cooperation with cities and counties."