Charter Bus Passenger Numbers Plummet, Service Life Extended from 9 to 11 Years

Due to the decrease in tourists caused by COVID-19, the Tancheon Parking Lot in Songpa-gu, Seoul is filled with tour buses. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The operation lifespan of charter buses, which have been struggling due to COVID-19, will be extended by 2 years beyond the current limit.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that the amendment to the "Passenger Transport Service Act Enforcement Decree," which includes extending the operation lifespan of charter buses and special passenger vehicles (funeral vehicles), will take effect from the 31st.

Recently, due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of bus passengers has significantly decreased, making vehicle replacement costs a considerable burden for the charter bus and special passenger vehicle industries.

Vehicle replacement refers to substituting vehicles that have exceeded their operation mileage with other vehicles or vehicles whose service life has expired. The replacement status of charter buses was 5,663 units in 2018, 6,996 units in 2019, and 4,568 units last year.

The annual operation mileage of charter buses is 48,000 km, which is shorter compared to city buses (97,000 km), intercity buses (198,000 km), and express buses (233,000 km).

Through the amendment, it is estimated that 35,000 charter buses and 2,600 special passenger vehicles will have their operation lifespan extended. This partial relief in vehicle replacement costs is expected to serve as a catalyst for employment stability and management stability in the industry.

According to the amendment, charter buses can now operate for 2 more years beyond the previous 9 years, and special passenger vehicles such as funeral vehicles can operate for an additional 6 months beyond the previous 10 years and 6 months.

For charter buses currently using a one-year temporary extension under last year's amendment to the Passenger Transport Service Act Enforcement Decree, the basic service life will be extended by one year, considering that one year has already been used from the newly extended 2-year period.

To ensure safety with the extension of the basic service life, the operation lifespan can only be extended if the vehicle has undergone regular or comprehensive inspections.

Seokhwan An, Director General of Comprehensive Transportation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We have made efforts to reduce the management burden on the industry by extending the basic service life of charter buses and others due to the decrease in transportation demand and prolonged COVID-19 situation," and added, "We will continue to prepare additional support measures for the bus industry."

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