Gapyeong County Completes Resident Briefings in Six Towns Ahead of First Rural Bus Route Reform in Five Years

Residents Call for Shorter Bus Intervals and Improved Transfers
Phased Implementation Planned After Pilot Operation in 2026

Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province announced on November 14 that it has completed resident briefings in all six towns and townships ahead of a rural bus route reform, which is being carried out for the first time in five years.

Gapyeong County, Full-scale Reform of Rural Bus Route System Underway (Scene from Gapyeong-eup Briefing Session). Provided by Gapyeong County

The briefings, held to gather a wide range of resident opinions, began in Buk-myeon on November 4 and continued through Gapyeong-eup, Sang-myeon, Jojeong-myeon, and Cheongpyeong-myeon, concluding in Seorak-myeon on November 11.

During the briefings, the county shared the overall direction of the reform being developed since July and presented the results of a public transportation usage survey conducted in each town and township in October. Residents most frequently raised the need to shorten bus intervals, improve transfer convenience, strengthen connections with train schedules, and adjust the first and last bus times. These findings are similar to survey results from other counties.

The briefings saw active participation from local leaders, including village heads and town mayors, who offered a variety of opinions. Gapyeong County’s Transportation Division Chief, Tak Hyekyung, and the Executive Director of Gapyeong Transportation Co., Ltd.-the county’s only bus operator-attended, responding to on-site questions and holding additional meetings to enhance communication and generate positive feedback.

With this reform, being pursued for the first time in five years since 2020, Gapyeong County aims to adjust routes to better reflect local travel demand, respond flexibly to tourism needs, and resolve overlapping and circuitous routes to suit the county’s circumstances.

A county official stated, “After the service project concludes in the first half of 2026, we will finalize the optimal route system through a phased approach: pilot operation in phase one, full-scale operation in phase two, and comprehensive implementation in phase three.”

The county plans to review detailed routes by region and, once the reform plan is drafted, hold a second resident briefing around January 2026 to gather final feedback.