Nowon-gu Operates 'Mobile Worker Shelter' for Substitute Drivers

From December 1, Rest Areas Near Taereungipgu Station and Nowon Station to Improve Rest and Safety for Mobile Workers Who Must Rest on the Road

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) will operate the ‘Mobile Workers’ Shelter’ starting December 1 to guarantee rest rights and improve the welfare of mobile workers.

The ‘Mobile Workers’ Shelter’ is a resting space for workers such as delivery couriers and designated drivers whose workplaces are not fixed and who spend a lot of time on the road.

Until now, mobile workers have been exposed to vulnerable working conditions due to the lack of waiting places or rest areas. Especially, the approaching winter cold wave poses a threat to their safety.

To address this, the district has newly established two shelters. First, there is a shelter inside the gallery on the first floor of the Nowon Social Economy Support Center near Taereungipgu Station and a shelter within the Healing Cafe. Since the gallery and cafe operate during daytime, they provide a fresh and spacious facility (87㎡) offering users a comfortable rest.

The operating hours are Monday to Friday, from 6 PM to 12 AM.

In Sangye 6 and 7-dong, a shelter has opened by remodeling the waiting room of the outdoor stage on Nowon Station’s Culture Street. It operates Monday to Saturday, from 6 PM to 2 AM the next day. This reflects the characteristics of the area, where shops operate late into the night.

Each shelter is equipped with resting chairs, tables, bottled water, and other essential rest supplies, and heating and cooling facilities are maintained to help users rest comfortably. Additionally, mobile phones, one of the most important devices for mobile workers, can be charged free of charge.

There are three major points that differentiate Nowon-gu’s Mobile Workers’ Shelter from others.

First, user-centered operating hours. Existing shelters mainly operate during daytime, making it practically impossible for nighttime users such as designated drivers to use them.

The district has set operating hours flexibly from 6 PM to 2 AM the next day, allowing access to the shelters even at night.

Another is accessibility for mobile workers. Delivery and courier workers hesitate to use shelters if the location is far because their work time directly relates to money. Nowon Station’s Culture Street is a representative commercial area optimized for the quick movement of designated drivers. The Social Economy Support Center near Taereungipgu Station also has excellent accessibility to nearby commercial areas and main roads, as well as a large parking lot, making it ideal as a shelter for delivery workers.

Lastly, the use of existing spaces without separate budgets. The waiting room of the outdoor stage, which was vacant due to COVID-19, and the unused space during nighttime when the cafe inside the center closes, were repurposed. This simplified the time and cost of creating shelters while returning public idle spaces to residents in need, improving the efficiency of public facility use.

The shelters are directly managed by the district to provide optimal services, with thorough checks on operations such as disinfection for infectious disease prevention and remote security.

In addition, through educational programs and legal consultations linked with the Nowon Labor Welfare Center, the district actively promotes the welfare and rights of these workers.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Compared to the convenience and economic effects residents enjoy through the services of mobile workers, their harsh working conditions have not received much attention. Just as we previously supported installing air conditioners in the sweltering security offices of apartment complexes, we will continue to provide effective support in the often unseen labor sites.”

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