Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Focuses on Standing Passenger Measures at 'Metropolitan Bus Safety Management System Inspection Meeting'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to hold a 'Wide-area Bus Safety Management System Inspection Meeting' on the 7th at the Seoul Railway Judicial Police Unit meeting room.

At this inspection meeting, the results of the meeting held earlier that morning, chaired by the President, titled 'National Safety System Inspection Meeting,' which discussed crowd management measures to alleviate congestion on wide-area buses, will be shared, and the progress of measures against standing passengers on wide-area buses will be reviewed.

First, the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee plans to urge metropolitan local governments and the transportation industry attending the inspection meeting to focus on expanding supply to prevent passenger crowding on wide-area buses and emphasize the necessity of preventing safety accidents through the establishment of a pre-safety inspection system.

In particular, the committee will focus on inspecting the progress of measures against standing passengers on wide-area buses, including the expansion of wide-area bus operations (a total of 482 trips), such as deploying charter buses during commuting hours and increasing regular bus services.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, since the implementation of the standing passenger measures, daily passengers increased by 34,000, commuting passengers increased by 17,000, but standing passengers decreased by 24,000.

Additionally, the committee plans to continue expanding the supply of double-decker electric buses, which can resolve standing passenger issues by increasing supply without additional trips through large-capacity passenger transport (from 45 to 70 seats), and to expand seat reservation systems and intermediate dispatching.

Local governments and the transportation industry are experiencing difficulties in securing charter buses and drivers related to deploying charter buses and increasing regular bus services to expand wide-area bus supply during commuting hours, and plan to request government support.

In this regard, the committee will actively consult with related ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance to expand support measures, including raising support standards for the increase support project to ensure the prompt deployment of charter buses, and emphasize the continuous expansion of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's quasi-public operation system.

Kang Hee-up, Standing Commissioner of the Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Committee, is expected to emphasize in his opening remarks, "Wide-area buses used by more than 500,000 people daily must prioritize public safety, and the government, local governments, and the transportation industry must take unlimited responsibility," adding, "It must be remembered that wide-area bus accidents can directly lead to major accidents."

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