Seongdong-gu Adds 40 More "Smart Cooling and Heating Chairs" at Bus Stops

Cool in Summer, Warm in Winter

Seongdong-gu in Seoul has expanded its operation of "Seongdong-style smart cooling and heating chairs" by installing them at 40 additional bus stops, bringing the total number of equipped stops to 162. This initiative aims to ensure that residents can use buses comfortably and safely even during the summer heat.

A newly installed Seongdong-style smart cooling and heating chair for heatwave preparedness. Back gate bus stop of Nongol Shinheop Daerim Apartment. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

The "Seongdong-style smart cooling and heating chair" is an advanced transportation convenience facility installed at bus stops with high public transportation usage. It is designed to keep the seat cool (with a surface temperature of about 28°C) in the summer and warm (about 40°C) in the winter, allowing passengers to wait for buses in comfort.

Temperature sensors and automatic control devices embedded in the seat surface detect the outside temperature in real time. When the temperature reaches 30°C or higher, the cooling function is activated automatically, and when it falls below 20°C, the heating function turns on automatically.

Of the 40 additional locations, 23 are newly installed, while 17 existing stops that previously only had heating functions have been upgraded to models with both cooling and heating, increasing their usability during the summer. The chairs are equipped with sensors that detect body movement, automatically switching to power-saving mode when not in use. The chairs operate year-round from 4:00 a.m. to midnight, allowing anyone to use them conveniently from the first to the last bus.

Seongdong-gu began installing heated chairs at 17 locations on January 2022. In December of the same year, 119 chairs with both cooling and heating functions were added, followed by 3 more in 2023. With this latest expansion, a total of 162 bus stops are now equipped with smart cooling and heating chairs.

Jung Wonoh, the mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "We completed the installation quickly before the onset of the heat so that residents can wait for buses more comfortably and safely during heatwaves." He added, "We will continue to do our best to create a more pleasant urban environment through practical, resident-focused administration."