Paju-si Declares Public Transportation Day... Free Village Bus Rides on the 11th

Paju-type Express City Bus Launch Ceremony... Operations Begin on the 8th
Over 30 Honored for Contributions to GTX Opening and Traffic Safety

Paju City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) has designated February 11th as Public Transportation Day every year, expressing its commitment to continue transportation innovation in Paju. Along with this, to commemorate the first Public Transportation Day, all village buses operating within Paju City will be free of charge.

Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju City, is delivering a greeting at the 'Paju City Public Transportation Day Declaration and Paju-type Express City Bus (PBRT) Opening Ceremony' held on the 5th. Photo by Paju City

According to Paju City on the 6th, the city held the ‘Paju City Public Transportation Day Proclamation and Paju-type Express City Bus (PBRT) Opening Ceremony’ on the 5th at the Paju Youth Training Center, attended by about 100 people including Mayor Kim Kyung-il, city council members, and members of the Traffic Safety Council.

At the Public Transportation Day proclamation ceremony, commendations were awarded to about 30 individuals who contributed to the activation of public transportation use, including those recognized for their service in the opening of GTX, traffic safety, and outstanding transportation workers.

The city amended the ‘Basic Ordinance on the Promotion of Public Transportation Convenience in Paju City’ to designate ‘Public Transportation Day’ and is conducting a one-day free operation of village buses within the city to widely inform citizens of the purpose and meaning of the designation. Citizens can use all village buses in Paju City free of charge from the first to the last bus on the 11th.

Paju City is accelerating transportation innovation around the opening of GTX at the end of last year and is emerging as a new transportation hub in northern Gyeonggi Province.

Following the confirmation of the extension of the Seohae Line to Paju last year and the opening of GTX, Paju City is dedicated to transportation innovation to become a new transportation hub in northern Gyeonggi Province. To improve accessibility to GTX, the city has been fully reorganizing bus routes, expanding the Paju-type student-exclusive school circular bus (Paprika), and expanding the operation of smart buses and one-thousand-won taxis, striving to guarantee citizens’ mobility rights and expand transportation welfare through the establishment of a Paju-type public transportation system.

The city does not stop there and aims to open various routes leading to Paju by reflecting Line 3, Tongil-ro Line, KTX Munsan extension, and the Seoul Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX)-H line in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan, with the ambition to further expand Paju City.

Mayor Kim Kyung-il stated at the proclamation ceremony, “Through this proclamation of Public Transportation Day, the transportation revolution that Paju City will achieve in the future will be the foundation for creating future value for Paju, and it will be the cornerstone for reaching a self-sufficient city of one million people, serving as an opportunity for Paju City to leap forward as the central city of northern Gyeonggi Province.”

Meanwhile, immediately after the proclamation of Public Transportation Day, the opening ceremony of the Paju-type Express City Bus (PBRT) was also held. Starting operation from the 8th, the Paju-type Express City Bus (PBRT) is a new concept transportation means that minimizes stops in areas such as Jeokseong, Papyung, Munsan, Wollong, Geumchon, Beopwon, Yeonpung, and Gwangtan to move as quickly as possible to GTX Unjeong Central Station, and it is expected to improve Seoul accessibility for the northern Paju region.