Icheon Selects "Tonghaki" as Name for Student Shuttle Bus Service

Pilot Operation of Bubal, Songjeong, Jeungpo, Baeksa, and Sindun Routes to Begin in October

The city of Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, announced on August 13 that it has selected "Tonghaki" as the official name for the "Student Shuttle Bus" service for students in transportation-disadvantaged areas, following a public naming contest.

The city explained that, for this contest targeting local middle and high school students, it received a total of 20 name suggestions recommended by each school. After a review by relevant agencies, six finalists were selected, and the final name was chosen through a third round of online public voting. The city plans to apply the selected name to the shuttle bus exteriors and promotional materials.

Previously, to launch the student shuttle bus project, the city conducted three rounds of demand surveys among local middle and high school students. After practical meetings, it decided to run a pilot project on two routes: Bubal~Jeungpo·Songjeong~Downtown and Baeksa~Sindun~Downtown.

For the pilot operation, four large buses will be deployed, serving 14 schools with one morning and two afternoon runs per day. Based on the demand survey, the city expects approximately 187 students to use the shuttle bus service.

The city is currently recruiting transportation service providers and plans to begin official operations in March next year, following a pilot run in October.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure an efficient shuttle bus service through thorough preparation and continuous monitoring."