Jeonnam Province, All-Out Effort to Secure COVID Disaster Relief Funds for Public Transportation Sector

Active Request for 4th Disaster Relief Fund Including Jeonse, Intercity, City, and Rural Bus Workers

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province is making every effort to secure disaster relief funds for the public transportation sector.

Considering the significant financial damage to the public transportation sector lasting over a year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the province has been continuously requesting that bus workers in chartered, intercity, city, and rural areas be included in the government's 4th disaster relief fund.

According to the province on the 15th, the recent decline in sales and management difficulties in the passenger automobile transportation industry are very severe.

Compared to 2019, last year the chartered bus transportation industry saw a sales decrease of 30%, intercity buses 56%, and city and rural buses over 26%.

The nationwide decrease rates are 82% for chartered buses, 58% for intercity buses, and 26% for city and rural buses.

In response to the hardships expressed by transportation industry workers, who are struggling to maintain employment and livelihoods, the province provided 400,000 KRW (provincial funds) to intercity bus workers and 500,000 KRW (city and county funds) to chartered bus workers last year.

This year, the province is implementing livelihood measures such as providing 500,000 KRW (provincial funds) to chartered bus workers, but is facing many difficulties in securing funding.

Accordingly, on the 2nd, Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeonnam Province requested government support for 11 vulnerable industries, including chartered bus drivers, at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19.

Since then, Jeonnam Province has continuously visited the National Assembly and central government ministries, proposing the expansion of the government's 4th disaster relief fund to include bus transportation workers.

As a result, positive responses have been received from the National Assembly’s Budget and Accounts Committee, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee, expressing active support for bus assistance, and from central government ministries, which empathize with the proposals and intend to actively respond to the National Assembly’s requests.

Park Cheol-won, Director of the Road Traffic Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “Help is urgently needed for public transportation workers who are experiencing severe livelihood difficulties due to COVID-19,” and added, “We earnestly request the government to understand the hardships of transportation industry workers and provide support at the government level.”

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