Gwangju City Signs Agreement with Two Shared Service Providers, Zicooter and Ssingssing

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 12th that it has signed a "business agreement for the safe management and use of electric kickboards and other personal mobility devices" with two personal mobility (PM) sharing service companies, 'Zicooter' and 'SsingSsing.'

Personal mobility devices such as electric kickboards have emerged as short-distance transportation means, leading to a rapid increase in users; however, safety issues have been continuously raised due to the lack of parking standards.

Accordingly, Gwangju City has held several meetings with related organizations including autonomous districts, the education office, police agency, Korea Transportation Safety Authority, Traffic Culture Training Institute, and the two shared PM companies operating in the region to discuss establishing order and revitalization plans for personal mobility.

This business agreement specifically includes the measures discussed so far, such as parking guidelines, mandatory insurance enrollment, preparation of user safety rules, and implementation of safety education.

In particular, Gwangju City plans to manage the safety of users and pedestrians by presenting restricted and recommended parking zones for electric kickboards through a designated zone parking system that sets "parking guidelines."

The shared PM companies will guide and educate users on the parking guidelines presented by Gwangju City and strengthen the current device return procedures.

They will also operate customer centers and promptly collect devices reported as abandoned.

Furthermore, Gwangju City and the companies will jointly prepare user safety rules to prevent accidents and conduct safety education for users including elementary, middle, and high school students as well as the general public. They will also strive to create an educational environment by securing venues and instructors, and cooperate in various campaigns and promotional activities.

Gwangju City expects that this business agreement will resolve safety issues related to personal mobility.

Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor for Administration, said, "As the transportation paradigm changes, personal mobility has become an important means of transportation for citizens. With this agreement, the public and private sectors will closely cooperate, and we will do our best to establish a personal mobility usage culture that satisfies not only users but also pedestrians."

Meanwhile, starting from the 10th of next month, under the revised and enforced Road Traffic Act, personal mobility devices will be allowed to use bicycle lanes, and minors aged 13 and older will be permitted to use them.

However, the recent amendment does not include regulations on usage order and safety standards such as parking criteria for personal mobility devices, so the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other government bodies plan to enact a law on the management and activation of personal mobility devices within next year.

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