Operating a total of 124 Traffic Safety Instructors, the largest nationwide... Seongdong-gu runs Walking School Bus year-round

A total of 124 Traffic Safety Instructors, the largest nationwide, guide safety on 42 routes at 17 elementary schools during school commutes... Operated during vacation for students using after-school and care classes, eliminating gaps in children's traffic safety care

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it will continue to operate the Walking School Bus program during school vacations to create a safe and secure route for children going to and from school.

The Walking School Bus means a "walking school bus," where traffic safety instructors accompany children from 1st to 3rd grade in elementary school on their way to and from school, teaching traffic safety rules and preventing crimes and traffic accidents on the school route.

Currently, Seongdong-gu has 124 traffic safety instructors responsible for the school routes of about 1,200 children across 42 routes at 17 elementary schools in the area.

The district operates the Walking School Bus during vacation periods to ensure there are no gaps in children's traffic safety. Since the winter vacation of 2022, the program has been running for students using after-school care classrooms, and from this summer vacation, the target group will be expanded to include students using after-school classes, with about 400 children expected to participate.

Since April, the Walking School Bus has also been operating during the dismissal time of after-school classes. After a pilot operation from October to December last year, it is now running on 17 routes at 7 schools, with a total of 237 students using the service.

Additionally, by sharing real-time updates of their children's commuting status via social network services (SNS), the program has received greater support from parents using the Walking School Bus.

Thanks to the high satisfaction, the program has been continuously expanded, and currently, the Seongdong-gu Walking School Bus program is operated on the largest scale nationwide.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "We are grateful that the active efforts of traffic safety instructors have helped ensure the safety of children's school routes," and added, "We will do our best to operate the Seongdong-gu Walking School Bus program, which is the most active in the country, more effectively in the future."