"Drunk City Buses" to Be Eliminated... All Busan Depots Introduce Biometric Breathalyzer System

Biometric Iris and Facial Recognition Systems Implemented at 53 Depots
Text Message Alerts Sent to Managers When 'Operation Prohibited' is Detected

Drunk driving by city bus drivers will be completely prevented.

The city of Busan (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on September 15 that it has completed the implementation of the 'Biometric Breathalyzer System' at 53 depots operated by 33 city bus companies, in order to fundamentally block bus drivers from operating vehicles under the influence.

This system verifies the identity of the person being tested using iris and facial recognition, then measures their blood alcohol level with a breathalyzer. The results are displayed as 'Not Measured', 'Normal', or 'Operation Prohibited'. Notably, if the result is 'Operation Prohibited', a text message is sent to the manager. This allows the alcohol status of the driver to be pre-checked and recorded, ensuring that both the manager and the driver are aware of the result at the same time.

The city will conduct a trial operation through the end of September and will officially launch the system in October. On September 16 at 10 a.m., a demonstration and on-site inspection of the system is scheduled to take place at the Yeonje Public Garage. Various scenarios, including normal measurement, detection of intoxication, and proxy testing, will be demonstrated.

Busan will also issue an order to improve the passenger automobile transportation business starting October 1 to eradicate drunk driving among transportation workers. Transportation operators must immediately report any unauthorized drunk driving by employees to the police and submit a written report to the city within 72 hours. Failure to comply with the improvement order will result in heightened administrative penalties, such as partial suspension of operations or additional fines.

Hwang Hyuncheol, Director of the Busan Transportation Innovation Bureau, emphasized, "Drunk driving by bus drivers is directly linked to the safety of citizens and can never be tolerated. We will use advanced technology to eliminate blind spots in management and enforce the strictest penalties in accordance with the zero-tolerance principle if an accident occurs."

Biometric Breathalyzer System.