Mokpo City Buses to Implement Semi-Public Operation System Starting 2025

Step-by-step Implementation Including Management Improvement by 2024, Strengthened Supervision, Route Reorganization, and Ordinance Enactment

On the 15th, Kim Jong-sik, Mayor of Mokpo City, announced a plan to improve the management of city buses during a press briefing. Photo by Mokpo City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 15th that it plans to complete the improvement of city bus management by 2024 and then promote a quasi-public operation system for city buses starting in 2025.

The city announced a roadmap for normalizing city buses through a press briefing.

Prior to this, the City Bus Public Deliberation Committee recommended a policy proposal to the city on the 9th, focusing on "management efficiency of city buses, management supervision by Mokpo City, and the introduction of a quasi-public operation system after management improvement."

The city plans to establish a comprehensive plan in stages?short-term, mid-term, and long-term?to strengthen the public nature of city buses while introducing the quasi-public operation system.

In the short term, the first phase of management improvement for the current private system will be implemented in 2022.

The management improvement measures include ▲ improvement orders to adjust dispatch intervals during school commute and rush hours ▲ reduction of buses ▲ appropriate sizing of vehicles.

Along with this, management supervision will be strengthened through ▲ hiring transportation experts ▲ enhancing the expertise of the Bus Finance Deliberation Committee ▲ operating a cash income verification system. Additionally, a professional institution will be commissioned to conduct research on route reorganization and implementation plans for the Mokpo-type city bus quasi-public operation system.

In the mid-term, the second phase of management improvement for the current private system will be completed by 2024. The reduction of 19 city buses will be 100% completed, and the effects of the route reorganization implemented from January 2023 will be analyzed and improvement plans supplemented.

Also, for prior preparation for the implementation of the quasi-public operation system, ordinances will be enacted, standard transportation costs calculated, and a settlement system established.

In the long term, comprehensive reviews of income management type, route bidding type, and consignment management type will be conducted to promote the Mokpo-type quasi-public operation system starting in 2025.

The city emphasized, "We will actively accept the recommendations of the Public Deliberation Committee, focus on strengthening publicness through citizen-centered transportation policies, and build a transportation system that improves transportation welfare."

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