Gumi-si, Public Transportation System Innovation ... Prioritizing Citizen Convenience!

City Bus Route Reorganization, Expansion of Citizen-Centered Public Transportation System

Reestablishment of Freight Vehicle Depot Plan, Strengthening Competitiveness of National Industrial Complex

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk is making efforts to implement citizen-demand tailored administration by actively promoting projects such as reorganizing city bus routes and establishing public cargo truck garages to build a convenient public transportation system that citizens can directly experience.

Gumi City held a kickoff meeting for the city bus route reorganization project.

▲Improving convenience of public transportation use through city bus route reorganization

Since the full reorganization of city bus routes in 2015, the city has been working to improve irregular dispatch intervals and insufficient operation frequencies, while considering changes in urban structure and the opening of the Daegu metropolitan railroad. A route reorganization service is currently underway. Starting with a kickoff briefing session in August this year, a new route reorganization plan will be prepared, and the introduction of new bus systems such as express buses and demand-responsive buses will be reviewed to establish a more convenient city bus route system for citizens.

▲Improvement of Bus Information System (BIS) and bus stop facilities

Since the introduction of the Bus Information System (BIS) in 2011, a free transfer system between Gimcheon, Gumi, and Chilgok has been operated. However, due to system aging, real-time guidance errors have frequently occurred. Therefore, the city plans to extensively replace the bus information system and renovate the website to create a public transportation environment that citizens can comfortably use.

Additionally, the city will continue to improve city bus stop facilities by building smart shelter stops and installing heated seats to prepare for cold waves, aiming to provide a pleasant public transportation service.

▲Creating a comfortable taxi usage environment

The appropriate number of taxis in Gumi City is 1,356, but currently there is an oversupply of 404 taxis, which has worsened the income decline of taxi drivers. This year, the city implemented its first reduction project, early reducing 12 taxis (10 corporate, 2 individual), and plans to gradually expand this to resolve the oversupply of taxis and income decline of drivers.

To prevent traffic accidents caused by aging taxis and ensure safe taxi use, since July this year, the city has been providing replacement subsidies of 1.5 million KRW per vehicle for 135 taxis whose vehicle age has expired.

▲Achieving smooth regional logistics transportation through establishment of public cargo truck garages

With the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport, the volume of cargo truck logistics transportation and distribution accessibility will greatly improve, and the number of cargo trucks passing through Gumi is expected to increase.

This may cause inconvenience to citizens such as traffic obstruction due to illegal parking and threats to pedestrian safety, and may also negatively affect the welfare and convenience of cargo transport workers. The city aims to establish parking order for cargo trucks and achieve smooth regional logistics transportation by creating public cargo truck garages, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of the industrial city.

This year, the city plans to re-conduct a site selection service for public cargo truck garages to review new project sites, focusing on land acquisition costs and accessibility, and especially listening to local trends such as opposition from residents.

As the establishment of public cargo truck garages is delayed, to alleviate the inconvenience experienced by cargo transport workers and improve illegal parking issues, the city will simultaneously proceed with additional creation of temporary cargo parking lots on a long-term lease basis at key points (Goa, Industrial Complex, Ok-gye, etc.).

▲Expansion of special transportation means operation

Special transportation means are special vehicles equipped with wheelchair slope functions, which can be used by severely disabled people with walking disabilities, elderly, pregnant women, etc., after registering as users at the Mobility Support Center and calling when needed.

Starting with the introduction of 6 vehicles in 2015, 19 vehicles have been entrusted to Gumi Facilities Corporation for operation. Last year, with the consent of the city council and through a review committee, the Korea Transportation Disabled Association was selected as the new entrusted agency, and operation began on June 1 this year. Two additional vehicles are planned to be added in the second half of the year.

▲Introduction of voucher taxis

The city plans to expand transportation means for the transportation disadvantaged by introducing voucher taxis, as the use of special transportation means increased significantly from an average of 1,091 times per month in 2021 to 2,311 times per month in 2023. To this end, related ordinances are being revised, aiming to start the project in 2024.

Voucher taxis are a service where non-wheelchair transportation disadvantaged persons request dispatch of vehicles from taxi operators engaged in regular business for use. Upon introduction, transportation means available to the transportation disadvantaged will expand beyond special transportation means, and the mobility rights of the transportation disadvantaged are expected to improve one step further.

▲Happy Taxi

The city operates 28 Happy Taxis in 7 eup/myeon, 32 ri, and 48 villages where public transportation use is difficult due to distant bus stops. Since its start in September 2018, Happy Taxi has operated about 1,400 times per month and served over 3,000 users, working to resolve welfare blind spots and improve residents’ living conditions. Next year, the city plans to continue increasing the number of villages served to ensure no one experiences inconvenience in using public transportation.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “We fully recognize and empathize with the importance of public transportation as the feet and roads of Gumi citizens, and we will work harder to establish transportation infrastructure in Gumi City by creating a public transportation environment that anyone can conveniently use.”