Seodaemun-gu Supports Deficit Village Bus Operators to Alleviate Passenger Inconvenience

Secured 300 Million Won... Expecting Dispatch Intervals to Recover to Pre-COVID-19 Levels

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seongheon) announced on the 6th that it will provide district funds to support transportation operators experiencing operating deficits in order to improve residents' convenience in using village buses.

There are a total of 93 village buses operating on 17 routes managed by 9 companies within Seodaemun-gu. However, due to the deterioration of transportation companies' management and a shortage of drivers, reduced operations have led to longer intervals between buses, causing inconvenience to passengers.

Previously, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has supported 85% of the deficit within a daily limit of 230,000 KRW when the village bus transportation revenue fell short of the financial support standard amount (457,040 KRW per bus per day).

However, as operating conditions for village buses have worsened due to rising fuel costs, decreased ridership, and driver recruitment difficulties, starting from April this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and autonomous districts agreed to share the remaining 15% of the deficit equally (7.5% each) to provide additional financial support.

To implement this, the district secured 300 million KRW in district funds and amended related ordinances in July. As a result, financial support amounting to 7.5% of the calculated deficit will be retroactively provided from July for 78 village buses operated by 8 companies experiencing deficits within the district.

Based on this, if bus driver recruitment is achieved, the bus intervals are expected to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Lee Seongheon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We hope that improving the operating conditions of village buses will alleviate residents' inconvenience, and we will continue to strive to provide smooth public transportation convenience.”

For more details regarding financial support for village bus operators running deficits, please contact the Transportation Administration Division of Seodaemun-gu Office.