Seoul City and Singapore Engage in International Exchange on Transportation Policies

Announcing Excellent Achievements in Eco-Friendly Public Transportation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold an international exchange event to showcase its achievements in operating eco-friendly public transportation and its outstanding transportation policies.

On the 9th, the city announced that it held an international exchange event on the 5th with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore, which visited Seoul, and representatives from the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) of Singapore. The event was particularly meaningful as both cities shared a consensus on expanding electric and hydrogen buses and achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, and engaged in discussions to advance transportation systems.

The visiting delegation included officials from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), which oversees planning and design of transportation infrastructure and systems such as railroads, buses, and roads, as well as representatives from the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU), which includes station staff and maintenance technicians in the transportation industry.

With the attendance of Yeotaek Kwan, Senior Manager of the Public Transport Department at LTA, bus management department officials, and Melvin Yong, Secretary-General of the transportation industry, the delegation showed great interest in the scale and facilities of Seoul's bus operations.

Seoul is actively introducing electric and hydrogen buses to expand eco-friendly public transportation. The city is promoting the introduction of 1,161 electric buses, including city and village buses, by 2024, and has established excellent infrastructure such as operating charging stations within public bus depots to create a favorable environment for hydrogen bus operations.

The delegation visited the Eunpyeong Public Bus Depot to inspect bus operation sites including electric bus charging facilities. They also visited TOPIS (Transport Operation and Information Service), which provides comprehensive information on Seoul’s buses, subways, roads, and traffic conditions, and experienced Seoul’s advanced transportation system firsthand by riding the autonomous bus on Cheonggyecheon.

At the conclusion of the site visit, the Singapore delegation stated, “We were impressed by Seoul’s transportation scene, which actively expands eco-friendly transportation means based on advanced technology,” and added, “We hope to strengthen exchanges between Seoul and Singapore centered on sustainable transportation policies to contribute to improving transportation convenience for citizens.”

Lee Chang-seok, Director of Seoul’s Transportation Policy Division, said, “We will continue to actively promote the excellence of Seoul’s transportation policies through active international exchanges,” and added, “Since we share the common goal of revitalizing eco-friendly public transportation, we look forward to various exchanges that will lead to successful public transportation policies.”