After Introduction of 'Kindness Allowance' for Cheonan City Buses, Complaints Drop by 20.6%

This year, a budget of 372.65 million won allocated...
50,000 won awarded upon selection

On the 4th, Cheonan City in South Chungcheong Province announced that, as a result of introducing a "kindness allowance" for the first time in the country this year to improve its notoriously reckless bus service, civil complaints decreased by 20.6% compared to the same period last year.

The city allocated a budget of approximately 372.65 million won for the kindness allowance this year to enhance public transportation services.

Kind drivers are selected based on citizen compliments received through the city website, phone calls, and the Sinmungo civil complaint system, and receive an allowance of 500,000 won.

The city selects kind drivers through objective verification, such as checking for civil complaints and consulting with transportation companies. Any driver who receives even a single complaint is excluded from consideration.

One driver was selected in January, and 14 in February, while the kind drivers for March are still under review.

Kim Taejong, head of the Public Transportation Division, said, "We will continue to monitor and improve the system to establish a culture of kindness in public transportation," adding, "We will actively reflect citizens' opinions to further enhance the quality of city bus services."