275 Village Buses and 3,519 Taxis Mobilized for Emergency Transportation
Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin) announced on September 30 that, in response to the Gyeonggi-do Bus Labor Union Council’s planned general strike on October 1 demanding wage increases and other improvements, the city will activate its Emergency Transportation Countermeasures Headquarters and implement emergency transportation measures to minimize inconvenience for residents.
Twelve village bus companies not participating in the strike (44 routes, 275 buses) and Daemyung Transportation’s quasi-public routes (3 routes, 34 buses) will operate as usual. To prepare for service disruptions, the city will increase bus dispatches and deploy reserve vehicles during peak commuting hours. In addition, the city has requested cooperation from individual taxi associations and taxi companies to ensure that all 2,509 individual taxis and 1,010 corporate taxis-a total of 3,519 taxis-operate intensively during rush hours. Eight commuter charter bus routes (metropolitan) with 48 buses (34 for morning commutes, 14 for evening commutes) will also operate normally.
The union has announced that if the final mediation meeting with the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission on September 30 fails to reach an agreement, members from 50 city and intercity bus companies will launch a full-scale strike starting with the first bus on October 1. If the strike proceeds, it is expected that 883 out of the total 1,192 buses in Seongnam-including 27 metropolitan bus routes and 44 city bus routes-will participate in the strike.
To minimize inconvenience for residents, Seongnam City has posted notices at bus stops and installed information banners at 28 locations near subway stations. The city is also actively providing information on alternative routes through various channels, including announcements on the Bus Information System (BIS), postings on the city website, and emergency text messages.
A Seongnam City official stated, "The labor and management are scheduled to hold a final mediation meeting at the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission on the afternoon of September 30. We hope both sides will make concessions and reach an agreement."
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