Gwangju City Council Member Seoyong Kyu Calls for Institutional Reform of Mobility Support System for the Disadvantaged

"Urgent Measures Needed for Dispatch Delays...
Guaranteeing Wide-Area Mobility"

Seoyong Kyu, Gwangju City Councilor.

On July 14, Seoyong Kyu, a proportional representative of the Democratic Party and member of the Gwangju City Council, raised concerns about the overall operation of the Gwangju City Transportation Support Center for the Mobility Disadvantaged during the 334th 2nd plenary session, and called for a comprehensive institutional overhaul by the city of Gwangju.

Seoyong Kyu pointed out, "The Transportation Support Center for the Mobility Disadvantaged, which started with eight dedicated vehicles for wheelchair users, has now expanded to 331 vehicles (128 dedicated vehicles, 202 voucher taxis, and one multi-passenger bus). However, the quality of service experienced by users has not improved. In some cases, waiting times can be as long as four to five hours, which constitutes an infringement on the right to survival for the mobility disadvantaged."

Regarding the AI-based automatic dispatch system, which has been operated by the city of Gwangju since 2020 with an investment of 640 million won, Seoyong Kyu argued, "Despite the introduction of the system, users still experience long waiting times of several hours. In reality, dispatching is managed through a mixed method of operator-assigned and AI-based dispatch, which is far from a true AI automatic dispatch system."

On the support system for wide-area transportation for the mobility disadvantaged, Seoyong Kyu stated, "As wide-area operations to regions such as Jeonnam are increasing, user dissatisfaction is growing. Practical wide-area mobility rights must be guaranteed through measures such as signing agreements with neighboring local governments, expanding immediate-call services, and rationalizing the fare system."

Seoyong Kyu further emphasized, "For Gwangju to become a true welfare city, the basic right to mobility must be thoroughly guaranteed," adding, "A thorough review of the overall operation of the Transportation Support Center for the Mobility Disadvantaged is necessary."