Uijeongbu City to Launch Revamped Student Commuter Bus Reflecting Citizen Feedback from the 4th
Existing Six Routes Consolidated into Three, Increased Morning Runs
Eight Additional Stops Added and School Commute Routes Adjusted
First Introduction of Eco-Friendly Hydrogen Buses in Uijeongbu
Mayor Kim Dong-geun: "Creating a Better Commuting Environment through Communication with Citizens"
Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Dong-geun) will revamp the "Uijeongbu Student Commuter Bus," which has been operating since August last year to improve the long-distance commuting environment for students in the Minrak and Gosan districts, starting from the 4th of this month.
According to Uijeongbu City on the 1st, the city has actively gathered opinions from students and parents during the operation of the commuter bus and prepared four operational improvement plans: integrating existing routes, adding stops at bus stations, adjusting school commute routes, and introducing hydrogen buses.
Mayor Kim Dong-geun said, "Since the Uijeongbu Student Commuter Bus started based on a proposal from the student council president of Uijeongbu Girls' High School, it is important to listen carefully to every opinion from students, parents, and citizens during the operation process and communicate with them." He added, "We will practice open administration that always finds answers on the ground."
A total of 15,074 students have used the commuter bus since August last year, with steady monthly increases, but some of the existing six routes had low usage rates.
To improve this, Uijeongbu City consolidated the existing routes into three and reorganized them focusing on sections with high demand. As a result, the number of users is expected to increase by more than 10%, and the number of runs during school arrival times will increase from once to twice (7:40 AM and 7:50 AM).
This improvement reflects the most requested changes by students in the "User Satisfaction Survey" conducted in December last year, and both operational efficiency and user satisfaction are expected to improve.
Uijeongbu City designated eight additional stops besides the existing 50 stops, reflecting requests from students and parents.
With the increase in the number of students due to new apartment move-ins in Gosan-dong, four stops were added, and two new stops were established in Geum-o-dong, where the student ratio is high. Additionally, to facilitate students attending after-school academies, two stops were added in the academy districts of Geum-o-dong and Minrak-dong to enable more efficient travel.
The school commute routes will also be improved. The morning routes will adjust the order of stops by school to enhance convenience, and the afternoon routes will be divided by zones to reduce travel time.
Considering that school start times vary by up to 20 minutes (from 8:40 AM to 9:00 AM), the morning route has been changed from "Uijeongbu Girls' High School~Uijeongbu Technical High School~Uijeongbu High School~Gwangdong High School~Kyungmin High School (including IT High School and Business High School)" to "Uijeongbu Girls' High School~Uijeongbu Technical High School~Kyungmin High School~Gwangdong High School~Uijeongbu High School." This change is expected to reduce the burden on Kyungmin High School students, who previously boarded earliest but got off last.
For the afternoon routes, instead of passing through all schools as before, the routes will be divided into Zone A and Zone B by school area, with two runs per route (3:00 PM and 5:00 PM).
Zone A buses (Student01-A to Student03-A) will depart from Gwangdong High School and stop at Uijeongbu High School and Kyungmin High School in order. Zone B buses (Student01-B to Student03-B) will operate via Uijeongbu Technical High School and Uijeongbu Girls' High School.
With the change in the afternoon routes, the travel distance will be shortened, reducing bus waiting times to within 5 minutes and cutting travel time by 10 to 15 minutes.
Starting from the new semester, Uijeongbu City will introduce eco-friendly hydrogen buses to the commuter bus fleet for the first time.
In November last year, Uijeongbu City decided, after consultations with the bus operator (KD Transportation Group), to replace all six diesel buses previously used as commuter buses with hydrogen electric buses. This will allow students to commute in a quieter and more comfortable environment and is expected to reduce carbon emissions.
Operating one hydrogen bus for one year can reduce 72 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the amount absorbed by 2,700 pine trees in one year. The city expects that the introduction of hydrogen buses will contribute not only to the convenience of student transportation but also to building an eco-friendly transportation system.
During the operation of the commuter buses, Uijeongbu City conducted complaint consultations, on-site rides, and satisfaction surveys to listen to the inconveniences and suggestions of students and parents.
In cooperation with the Uijeongbu Office of Education, the city operates a "Student Operation Council" composed of parent representatives and school principals to develop practical improvement measures.
Uijeongbu City plans to actively promote the use of the Uijeongbu Student Commuter Bus and continue to communicate with citizens for ongoing improvements.
Mayor Kim Dong-geun said, "I hope that more students will conveniently use the commuter bus from the new semester through the improvements reflecting students' requests," and added, "We will continue to work hard to create a safer and more convenient commuting environment and make Uijeongbu a better city for transportation."
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