Yeosu City Ranks First Nationwide in the '2021 Public Transportation Policy Evaluation'

Published 16 Dec.2021 17:25(KST)

The Only Recipient of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Commendation in Jeonnam

Yeosu City Ranks First Nationwide in the '2021 Public Transportation Policy Evaluation'

[Yeosu=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Sim Kyung-taek] Yeosu City in Jeollanam-do was selected as the top institution nationwide in the ‘2021 Public Transportation Policy Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and was the only winner from the Jeollanam-do region.

According to the city, it received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Commendation at the ‘Public Transportation Service and Policy Evaluation Awards Ceremony’ held on the 15th at the Royal Hotel Seoul.

The ‘Public Transportation Policy Evaluation’ was first introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2007 to promote the development and use of public transportation, and is conducted every two years. A total of 161 special, metropolitan, city, and county governments nationwide are divided into five groups (A~E) based on population size and the presence of urban rail transit. Yeosu City was designated as Group D (36 cities with populations under 300,000), along with Suncheon and Gwangyang.

This evaluation was decided from July to October based on document reviews, on-site inspections, and satisfaction surveys conducted by an evaluation team composed of external experts and employees of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. They assessed 19 indicators and 40 items across four categories: public transportation facilities, services, administration and policy support, and users.

Yeosu City has been recognized as an excellent public transportation city, ranking in the top tier four consecutive times from 2013 to 2019, and this year achieved the remarkable feat of ranking first nationwide for the first time.

Over the past two years, Yeosu City received high scores for implementing various citizen-centered public transportation policies, including ▲ ‘ITS establishment’ to build an optimal signal system for road traffic ▲ introduction and operation of an ‘urban transportation model’ to improve convenience in underserved public transportation areas ▲ efforts to enhance mobility for transportation-vulnerable groups such as the introduction of low-floor buses and operation of call taxis for the disabled ▲ and improvements in demand-oriented services and infrastructure.

A city official stated, “This award proves that Yeosu City’s public transportation policies are the best in the nation,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to build a safe and convenient public transportation environment that reflects the changing future transportation environment, such as introducing eco-friendly buses and reorganizing city bus routes.”