Gyeonggi-do "Eradicate Non-Stop City Buses, Rudeness, Reckless Driving, and Dispatch Plan Violations"

Gyeonggi-do Establishes 4 Key Measures to Reduce Core Complaints on City Buses
Prevents Non-Stop Operation by Slow Driving at Bus Stops
Mandatory Courtesy Training for Drivers with Incentives Provided
Introduces System to Measure and Feedback Risky Behaviors like Speeding and Sudden Acceleration
Intensive Crackdown on Routes Not Following Dispatch Plans with Strengthened Administrative Sanctions

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 23rd that, since implementing the Gyeonggi Province-type quasi-public system, the ‘City Bus Public Management System,’ in January this year, it has established measures to reduce the four major core complaints regarding city buses?‘non-stop driving, rudeness, reckless driving, and violation of dispatch plans’?to resolve inconveniences faced by residents.

First, to prevent non-stop driving, the province plans to use the BIS (Bus Information System) to measure bus stop dwell times and enforce slow driving within 8 seconds (approximately 30 km/h). If non-stop driving is detected, administrative actions such as fines will be strengthened under a zero-tolerance policy. Additionally, the top 100 routes with the highest number of non-stop complaints will be selected, and joint inspection teams from the province and city/county governments will conduct undercover inspections quarterly and semi-annually.

As a measure against rude behavior, mandatory customer service training for city bus drivers will be implemented, and a ‘Friendly Driver Certification System’ will be introduced to provide incentives to excellent companies and drivers. Public awareness campaigns targeting residents and enhanced training for drivers regarding the standard terms and conditions of city bus transportation?such as prohibitions on bringing pets on board and eating?will be strengthened to minimize conflicts between bus passengers and drivers.

To prevent reckless driving, a safe driving web system with functions to measure and provide feedback on risky behaviors such as speeding and sudden acceleration will be introduced to systematically manage drivers’ driving habits. Furthermore, safety evaluations such as ‘Traffic Accident Index’ and ‘Vehicle Safety Management Status’ will be strengthened by route, enhancing bus safety accident prevention and supervision. A ‘Service Safety Grade Disclosure System’ will also be introduced to publicly disclose evaluation grades and scores to residents.

Regarding violations of dispatch plans, routes with a compliance rate of 90% or less in operation frequency will be designated as focused management routes, with concentrated management of dispatch intervals such as first and last bus compliance rates. Administrative actions, including fines, will be strengthened for failure to comply with dispatch plans.

The province plans to proceed with revising related guidelines and consulting with relevant agencies, aiming for implementation next year.

Nam Sang-eun, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Transportation Bureau, stated, “Through these four core complaint reduction measures for city buses, we will dramatically improve the quality of city bus services and resolve inconveniences for residents. Along with the implementation of the City Bus Public Management System, we will do our best to eradicate violations such as non-stop driving, rudeness, reckless driving, and dispatch plan violations.”

Meanwhile, starting from January this year, Gyeonggi Province plans to convert approximately 6,000 city buses across the province to the public management system by 2027. The ‘Gyeonggi Province City Bus Public Management System’ focuses on strengthening public management of city buses. It is divided into the ‘Public Support Type,’ which renews financial support agreements every three years based on route-level service evaluations, and the ‘Route Bidding Type,’ where the public sector owns the routes and selects transportation operators through open competition to operate for a set period. This quasi-public operation method for city buses is the first of its kind nationwide in Gyeonggi Province.