Agreement Reached to Raise Subsidy to 510,457 Won per Bus
Additional Subsidies for Improved Operation Rates and New Driver Hires
Association to Submit and Disclose Transportation Service Improvement Plan to the City
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Village Bus Transportation Association have agreed to increase the subsidy for village buses. The association has withdrawn its intention to leave the transfer system and has committed to improving service quality, including the number of operations and intervals between buses.
On October 3, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that at 11:55 p.m. the previous day, it had signed an "Agreement for the Improvement of Village Bus Transportation Services" with the Village Bus Transportation Association, establishing an institutional framework for cooperation to enhance citizens' transportation convenience.
The city will expand support to reflect the financial difficulties of the village bus industry, while the association will implement improvement plans to enhance service quality, such as increasing the number of village bus operations and reducing intervals between buses, as well as improving accounting transparency.
The city will raise the standard amount of financial support per bus from 486,098 won to 510,457 won. The opinions of the village bus industry will also be actively reflected when establishing the financial support standards for next year.
In addition, if improvements such as increased operation rates and the hiring of new drivers are confirmed, the city will provide substantial additional support, such as increasing subsidies.
The association will submit and release to the city its plan for improving transportation services, which includes the current status of approvals and plans for hiring transportation workers.
From the left, Yongseung Kim, Chairman of the Seoul Village Bus Transportation Business Association, and Taemyung Kim, Seoul City Transportation Planning Officer
The city and the association will operate a permanent working-level council to continuously discuss industry suggestions and institutional improvements for enhancing service quality, and will transparently share the results with citizens.
This agreement was reached through active communication between the city and the industry, beginning with a meeting between Mayor Oh Sehoon and the Village Bus Association on September 26. The city will actively listen to the difficulties faced by the village bus industry, while both sides will work together to prevent the recurrence of issues such as unauthorized operations that cause inconvenience to citizens.
Taemyung Kim, Seoul City Transportation Planning Officer, stated, "Village buses are both the feet of our citizens and a key means of daily transportation. This agreement will not remain a mere declaration, but will serve as a starting point for strengthening the stability and public nature of village bus services. We will continue to provide administrative support and monitoring."
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