Seodaemun-gu Opens Era of Electric Low-Floor Village Buses, First in Seoul

Starting Operation of 6 Electric Village Buses on Seodaemun Route 03 from Yeonil Yeonil Traffic on the 11th... Secured 1.3 Billion KRW in National and City Funds After Over 10 Months of Effort, Successful Introduction

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) has opened the era of large low-floor electric village buses for the first time in Seoul.

The district announced on the 11th that six 45-seat electric village buses of Yeonil Transportation's Seodaemun 03 route have started operation.

Most village buses in Seoul use compressed natural gas (CNG), which is more eco-friendly than diesel buses but still emit nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases, which are causes of fine dust.

On the other hand, electric village buses not only produce no exhaust emissions but also have almost no engine vibration and noise, enhancing the riding comfort.

In particular, as a sliding door type ultra-low-floor bus, it is convenient for transportation-vulnerable people to use, and chargers are installed inside so passengers can also charge their mobile phones.

The bus company also has the advantage of reducing fuel and maintenance costs compared to conventional internal combustion engine buses.

After about 10 months of effort, the district secured 600 million KRW in national funds from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and 700 million KRW in city funds from Seoul City, enabling the introduction of these electric village buses and the installation of an electric charging station at the garage (327 Moraenae-ro).

Lee Yong-gu, Executive Director of Yeonil Transportation, who worked together with the district for the success of this project, said, “Since village buses serve as the feet of ordinary people, running through every neighborhood, we expect the eco-friendly effects felt by passengers and residents near the routes to be even greater.”

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “Responding to the climate crisis is an urgent task that can no longer be postponed,” and added, “As part of creating a sustainable green city in Seodaemun-gu, we will expand the conversion of village buses to electric vehicles.”

The Seodaemun 03 village bus runs from Hong Eun 2-dong Community Center to Seodaemun-gu Office, Yeonhui Elementary School, Yonsei University, and Shinchon Subway Station.

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