[Seoul District News] Seogangseok, Songpa-gu Mayor ▲Connecting Public Transport Weak Sections with Village Buses ▲Introducing 60% Low-floor Village Buses & Opening Ceremony of Village Bus Line 01 at Ogeum-dong Stop on 15th at 10 AM
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seogang Seok) announced that from 6 a.m. on the 15th, three village bus routes will be fully launched.
The village buses starting operation on the 15th are a total of three routes: Songpa 01 running from Ogeum-dong to Songpa 2-dong to Seokchon Station, Songpa 02 running from Jangji-dong to Munjang Legal Complex to Suseo Station, and Songpa 03 circulating between Suseo Station and Samjeon Station.
"It was really inconvenient because the only bus to get from Seokchon to Suseo Station was the 2412 bus with long intervals, but now that there is a village bus, I’m so happy!"
The news of the first village bus opening in Songpa-gu has sparked a strong reaction from local residents.
Until now, among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul, only Songpa-gu and Jung-gu lacked village buses due to their well-developed road networks. Recently, with large-scale housing development projects and the extension opening of Subway Line 9, the demand for village buses serving as transportation for residents has surged in Songpa-gu.
Accordingly, Mayor Seogang Seok set the "establishment of village buses" as a pledge project for the 8th local government term to resolve residents' inconvenience. He focused all efforts on the early launch of village buses by enacting the ordinance on financial support for Songpa-gu village buses last October to solve operational deficit issues and proposing the use of part of the Olympic Park parking lot as a garage.
As a result, the selection of village bus operators was completed in August, and after three months of preparation, official village bus operation is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. on the 15th.
Mayor Seogang Seok explained, "This is a project with very high interest from residents, and we will prioritize safety above all in operation. In particular, to secure mobility rights for transportation-vulnerable groups in Songpa-gu, all five new low-floor buses among the total nine village buses operating on the three newly established routes have been introduced."
Considering that the introduction rate of low-floor buses in Seoul city village buses was only 3.9% (as of 2021), Songpa-gu has introduced low-floor buses for 60% of its village buses.
On the 15th at 10 a.m., one day before the launch, a village bus opening ceremony will be held in front of the Ogeum-dong Songpa Reminis Apartment bus stop (24912), the starting point of Songpa 01.
The ceremony will be attended by Mayor Seogang Seok, members of the National Assembly, city and district councilors, and about 100 resident representatives. After the main event, all attendees will participate in a village bus test ride together.
The district expects that with the opening of the village buses, accessibility to transportation hubs (subway stations) for residents in the Ogeum and Munjeong housing development areas will improve, and the transportation supply network between Samjeon, Munjeong, Jangji-dong, and the Suseo High-Speed Rail (SRT) station transfer center will be expanded, making public transportation use more convenient for Songpa-gu residents.
Mayor Seogang Seok of Songpa-gu said, "I am very pleased to commemorate this historic moment with the residents as the establishment of village buses, a long-awaited project for local residents, was set as a pledge project for the 8th local government term and efforts were made for early launch. We will continue to work to improve the city bus route system in Songpa-gu and enhance the convenience of public transportation use in Songpa-gu."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
