'Gyeonggi-do Smart Bus and Suwon City Odor Complaint Resolution'... Presidential Award for Exemplary Proactive Administration Case

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

‘Ddokbus,’ a demand-responsive transport (DRT) service in Gyeonggi Province, received the Presidential Award.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 9th that Suwon City’s ‘40-year odor complaint resolution’ and Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation’s ‘Ddokbus,’ both selected as excellent cases in the proactive administration competition, won the Presidential Award at the government proactive administration excellent case competition held on the 8th.

Previously, the government selected 56 award-winning cases from a total of 289 institutions and over 570 cases through public participation and expert review, including 18 cases from local governments, 9 from local public corporations and foundations, 18 from central government ministries, and 8 from public institutions.

The Suwon City case, which won the Presidential Award in the local government category, resolved an environmental conflict that arose after 1,600 households were built near a dairy industry wastewater treatment facility in 1968.

It was highly evaluated for solving the chronic odor problem that lasted over 40 years through proactive efforts such as diversifying pre-odor measurement methods beyond conventional complaint handling, establishing internal standards to induce improvement construction of the company’s wastewater treatment facility, enacting ordinances providing the basis for odor prevention and reduction measures in Suwon City, and forming a win-win consultative body between the company and residents.

In the public institution category, Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation’s Ddokbus, which won the Presidential Award, is a demand-responsive transport service that comes when passengers call at their desired time and place. It is a new concept of public transportation that flexibly transports passengers in response to calls without fixed routes in transportation-vulnerable areas such as rural or new towns.

When passengers enter their departure and arrival points through the ‘Ddokta’ app, artificial intelligence (AI) checks vehicle locations in real time and guides the boarding point and time closest to the passenger. Currently, 107 Ddokbus vehicles operate in 10 cities and counties within the province, and it was recognized for solving the problem of public transportation blind spots in rural and urban areas.

Additionally, ▲Uijeongbu City’s ‘Bus Stop Safety System’ and ▲Anyang City’s ‘Development of Secondary Sorting Process for Food Waste’ received Excellence Awards (Minister of the Interior and Safety Award), while ▲Namyangju City’s ‘Resolving Parking Shortages through Niche Targeting,’ ▲Bucheon City’s ‘Illegal Parking ARS Enforcement Notification Service,’ and ▲Siheung Urban Corporation’s ‘Establishing a Safe Traffic Environment through Access Road Improvement’ received Encouragement Awards (Director of the Personnel Management Office Award).

Park Won-yeol, Director of Regulatory Reform at Gyeonggi Province, said, “This competition award is the result of proactive administration efforts by Gyeonggi Province, cities and counties, and public corporations and foundations to improve the welfare of residents and develop Gyeonggi Province. We will continue to foster a public service culture that promotes proactive administration and strive to enhance the quality of life for Gyeonggi residents.”