Seoul Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee Secures Additional Budget for Bus and Taxi Financial Support

Allocation of 1.5 Billion KRW for Village Bus Incentives and 2 Billion KRW for Airport Bus Financial Support Due to Prolonged COVID-19, Plus 2 Billion KRW for Taxi Card Payment Fees and 5.9 Billion KRW for Communication Expenses... Additional Securing of 17.349 Billion KRW for Subway Station Tenant Rent Reduction, 3.065 Billion KRW for Bus, and 10.5 Billion KRW for Emergency Public Safety Support for Corporate Taxi Drivers... Transportation Committee Chair Woo Hyeong-chan Expects Relief for Public Transportation, Operators, and Workers for Citizens

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The Seoul Metropolitan Council's Transportation Committee (Chairman Woo Hyung-chan, Democratic Party, Yangcheon 3) announced that the budget for financial support to village bus and airport bus companies, as well as bus and taxi transportation operators facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19, was secured in the '2022 Seoul Metropolitan City Budget' passed by the Seoul Metropolitan Council plenary session on December 31 last year.

The total budget for Seoul in 2022 is approximately 44.22 trillion KRW, of which the Urban Transportation Office budget is 3.112586 trillion KRW, an increase of 91.066 billion KRW compared to the originally submitted budget (3.029718 trillion KRW) by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Among this, an additional 42.314 billion KRW was allocated for support budgets for village and airport buses, taxi transportation companies and workers, and subway station tenant merchants.

The Transportation Committee members stated, "During the preliminary review process of the Transportation Committee, the requested budget increases for village bus incentive support (1.5 billion KRW) and airport bus service improvement (2 billion KRW) were fully allocated, which will help village and airport bus companies facing bankruptcy due to COVID-19," and added, "We expect that the taxi card fee support (5.9 billion KRW) and communication fee support (2 billion KRW) budgets will reduce the burden on taxi transportation workers and improve convenience for users."

Additionally, the Transportation Committee members emphasized, "Considering the severe income reduction of subway station tenant merchants and bus and taxi transportation workers due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, budgets of 17.349 billion KRW for compensating rent reductions for tenant merchants, and emergency employment safety support budgets of 3.065 billion KRW and 10.5 billion KRW for bus and corporate taxi transportation workers respectively, have been allocated. This will help save subway station tenant merchants and transportation workers and contribute to improving the public transportation environment in Seoul."

Chairman Woo Hyung-chan of the Transportation Committee stated, "Seoul's public transportation is going through a more difficult time than ever due to COVID-19, and we must not forget that if operations become difficult, the ones who ultimately suffer are the citizens of Seoul," and added, "Through this budget allocation, we hope that public transportation companies and workers can alleviate their economic burdens even a little."

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