Implemented for All Residents Starting in January
Elderly residents of Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, are using a free bus. Provided by Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do.
Gokseong-gun in Jeonnam has been seeing positive effects from its "Free Rural Bus" policy, implemented this year, by guaranteeing residents' mobility rights and revitalizing the local economy within just one month of its launch.
According to Gokseong-gun on February 3, the county began operating rural buses free of charge for all residents on January 1.
About one month after the system was introduced, overall daily travel by residents for hospital visits, grocery shopping, commuting to school, and other purposes has increased. In particular, as more visitors travel from township-level areas to the county seat, the streets are becoming noticeably more vibrant.
For elderly senior citizens and teenagers without private cars, as well as residents of township areas, the bus is the only means of transportation. With the removal of transportation costs through this free service, accessibility to medical, cultural, and administrative services has improved significantly.
In practice, senior citizens are visiting markets and hospitals in the county seat much more frequently. As mobility has become easier, "everyday visits" to local commercial districts and traditional markets in the county seat have increased, helping to revitalize previously stagnant local businesses.
Gokseong-gun has analyzed that improved transportation access is serving not just to make travel more convenient, but also as a catalyst for enhancing residents' quality of life and injecting new vitality into the broader local community.
An official from Gokseong-gun said, "The implementation of free buses is a transportation welfare policy designed to improve travel convenience for all residents, including those with limited mobility," adding, "We will continue to do our best to enhance residents' daily convenience and boost local vitality based on a convenient transportation environment."
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