Gradual Installation Ordered Until 2040 in First Trial
Partial Victory for Plaintiffs
The appellate trial has begun for a lawsuit filed by people with disabilities against transportation companies and the government, demanding the mandatory installation of wheelchair boarding equipment (lifts) on express buses.
On December 17, the Civil Division 3 of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Choi Changhoon) held the first appellate hearing for the 'anti-discrimination relief lawsuit' filed by Bae Youngjun and four other individuals with disabilities against Kumho Express (now succeeded by Kumho Express), Gwangju City, the government, and others.
In the first trial of this lawsuit, which began in 2017, the court partially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, ordering Kumho Express to gradually install wheelchair lifts on newly introduced express and intercity buses from next year until 2040.
However, the first-instance court dismissed the plaintiffs' request to install lifts at bus platforms, judging that terminal operation rights had been transferred to Gwangju Shinsegae.
The court also dismissed the remaining claims that sought to require Gwangju City and the government to allocate related budgets.
In the appellate trial, where both plaintiffs and defendants appealed the first-instance decision, Bae and others requested the appellate court to verify whether the terminal operation rights had actually been transferred to Gwangju Shinsegae.
On the other hand, Kumho Express requested that the installation of lifts be limited to 'standard' buses and exclude 'premium' buses, citing excessive business losses.
Kumho Express estimated that the proportion of seats removed to install lifts would be 15% for standard buses and 25% for premium buses, respectively. The court scheduled the next hearing for March 11 of the following year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
