Gyeonggi Province Surpasses 10.24 Million Cumulative Riders, Receives Strong Support
Customized, Community-Oriented Service Expected to Greatly Improve Mobility for Local Residents
Gyeonggi Province Aims to Operate 318 Ddokbus Vehicles Across 20 Cities and Counties by Year-End
Ddokbus, Gyeonggi Province's innovative demand responsive transit (DRT) service, will begin operations in Siheung City on October 27, expanding the number of service areas in the province to 20.
Gyeonggi Province announced that it will deploy five Ddokbus vehicles in Siheung City to significantly improve transportation convenience for residents in areas where public transportation has been insufficient, such as Sincheon Station, industrial complexes, schools, and traditional markets.
As a result, residents of Sincheon-dong, Daeya-dong, Eunhaeng-dong, and Maehwa-dong in Siheung City will now have access to customized transportation services designed to improve commuting convenience for workers, ease school commutes for students, and facilitate visits to traditional markets.
The five Ddokbus vehicles will operate daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Gyeonggi Province launched Ddokbus in December 2021 with 10 vehicles between Unjeong New Town and Gyoha District in Paju City. This year, 66 new vehicles have been introduced in 10 cities, including Yongin and Uijeongbu. By the end of this year, the province plans to add 26 more vehicles in six existing service areas-Hwaseong, Icheon, Gwangju, and others-bringing the total to 318 vehicles across 20 cities and counties.
Gyeonggi Province’s demand responsive Ddokbus is a new concept in public transportation that generates optimal routes in real time based on passenger requests, without fixed routes or timetables. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI)-based advanced information and communication technology (ICT), it determines the most efficient route by identifying passengers’ locations and destinations. As of the end of September, cumulative ridership surpassed 10.24 million, demonstrating strong support from residents.
According to a Ddokbus user survey conducted in July, the satisfaction score was 84.7 points, indicating that residents rate the service very positively.
To use Ddokbus, passengers can request and pay for rides through the integrated transportation platform “Ddokta” app, operated by the Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation. After entering departure and destination points in the app, users receive real-time information about the nearest available Ddokbus vehicle, routes, pick-up locations, and boarding and drop-off times.
For seniors and other digitally vulnerable groups who may have difficulty using smartphones, Gyeonggi Province began offering a telephone (landline) call service in four cities, including Goyang, in 2023. This telephone call service has now been expanded to all 20 cities and counties operating Ddokbus.
In addition, since April this year, the province has established a “Special Task Force for Integrated Public Transportation in Transport-Vulnerable Areas” to improve public transportation systems in rural and other underserved regions. The province is pursuing a pilot project centered on DRT (Ddokbus) as part of an integrated public transportation system. Based on the results of this pilot, Gyeonggi Province plans to develop data-driven public transportation guidelines and gradually introduce a flexible system that combines DRT (Ddokbus) with existing city and village buses.
Yoon Taewan, Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Policy Division at Gyeonggi Province, stated, “The launch of Ddokbus in Siheung City is significant as it provides customized public transportation services tailored to the needs of industrial complex workers, students, and traditional market users in the area. We will continue to strive to ensure that all residents can conveniently use Ddokbus through efficient, user-centered demand responsive operations in 2026 and beyond.”
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