Operating School Buses Becomes Possible by Grouping Nearby Schools Together

Joint Operation of Commuter Charter Buses Allowed for Nearby Schools
Legal Amendment Enables Education Offices to Contract and Manage Buses for Multiple Schools
Eases Burden on Individual Principals and Improves Efficiency for Students with Difficult Commutes

The related system will be changed to allow nearby schools to jointly operate charter buses for commuting. Currently, buses must be contracted and operated on an individual school basis, making it difficult to operate efficiently when demand is low.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the amendment to the "Passenger Transport Service Act Enforcement Decree," which includes this content, will be enforced starting from the 8th. Previously, contracts for charter buses for commuting had to be made by the school principal, but with the recent legal amendment, superintendents of education or education directors now have the basis to contract and operate these buses.

For students who live far away or have difficulty using public transportation, some schools contracted with charter bus operators to run commuting charter buses. However, related laws stipulated that each school principal must operate separately, making integrated operation between neighboring schools difficult. Typically, charter buses have a capacity of 45 seats, but when the number of students using the service is only about 10, it was either impossible to operate or schools had to contract for a larger bus than needed. Since the school principal had to make contracts each time, administrative tasks such as contracting, cost settlement, and vehicle management also became burdensome.

The photo is unrelated to the article. Photo by Asia Economy DB

As the Neulbom School policy for after-school elementary students gradually increases, cases where students from nearby schools attend classes together have emerged. The Ministry of Land explained that the need to operate commuting charter buses at the level of education offices (education support offices) has increased. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recognized the high necessity of operating integrated regional commuting charter buses and has improved regulations this time after consultations with the Ministry of Education, the National Police Agency, and the charter and city bus industries since last year.

Considering the overlap of services between city buses, which are mostly operated under semi-public systems by local governments, and commuting charter buses, it was decided that when superintendents of education or education directors operate commuting charter buses, it will only be allowed for middle and high school students who take more than 30 minutes by public transportation. For elementary school or special school students, who may have relatively vulnerable commuting conditions, no separate restrictions will be imposed.

Um Jeong-hee, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The proportion of charter buses operated for commuting and work purposes is higher than for tourism, so we judged that regulatory improvements are necessary for smooth operation," adding, "We expect that by providing commuting bus services through education offices and education support offices for students who have difficulty with public transportation or walking to school, student commuting will become safer."