Gwangju City to Significantly Expand 'Transportation Means' to Guarantee Mobility Rights for Transportation-Disadvantaged Groups

Decision to Add 56 Low-Floor Buses and More

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Lee Yong-seop) announced on the 10th that it will significantly expand transportation means to guarantee the mobility rights of transportation-vulnerable groups and support their increased social participation.

First, this year, 56 additional low-floor buses will be introduced to raise the operation rate of low-floor buses from the current 21% to 26%.

The low-floor buses to be introduced this time include various types of eco-friendly buses such as 27 electric low-floor buses, 6 hydrogen low-floor buses, and 23 CNG low-floor buses.

Low-floor buses are designed without stairs and use ramps to allow wheelchair users to conveniently use the bus. In particular, both transportation-vulnerable groups and non-disabled passengers can use them more comfortably compared to regular city buses.

Currently, Gwangju operates 216 low-floor buses on 34 routes, excluding three trunk routes where large buses cannot operate due to narrow roads.

Additionally, to support convenience without hindrance for disabled and transportation-vulnerable passengers using city buses, 88 barrier-free bus stops and a transfer hub smart bus stop opposite the Gwangju Intercity Bus Terminal have been installed and are in operation.

In this regard, with the launch of medium-sized electric low-floor buses, Gwangju has applied for subsidies for the introduction of 12 medium-sized electric low-floor buses from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Environment. If selected, low-floor buses will be deployed on branch routes operated by medium-sized buses starting next year.

Furthermore, 116 vehicles exclusively for transportation-vulnerable groups and 60 rental taxis for disabled persons who can walk are currently in operation. By July, about 40 additional rental taxis will be added, operating a total of 216 vehicles including 116 exclusive vehicles and 100 rental taxis.

Transportation-vulnerable rental taxis are a service model where individual taxi operators are recruited to provide transportation services for severely disabled persons who can still walk.

Son Dooyoung, Director of Public Transportation at Gwangju City, said, “We plan to raise the operation rate of low-floor buses to 30% by 2022 to alleviate the inconvenience of public transportation use for transportation-vulnerable groups,” and added, “We will strengthen the education of transportation workers for low-floor buses, exclusive vehicles for transportation-vulnerable groups, and rental taxis to provide more courteous transportation services.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.