Naju City Officially Begins 'City Bus Route System Reorganization'

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 21st that it will officially begin the ‘City Bus Route System Reorganization’ of the 8th elected administration, aiming for implementation in the first half of next year, maximizing citizen convenience and route efficiency.

As the first step, the city held a ‘City Bus Route Reorganization Service Report Meeting’ on the 18th, presenting the overall route reorganization direction and promotion strategy based on the analysis of the current status and issues of Naju city buses.

Through the report meeting, the city pointed out that the problems in operating city buses in Naju include inefficient route operations and increasing operating costs despite declining transportation revenue, which has led to annual increases in loss subsidies paid to transportation companies.

On the other hand, it was noted that passenger complaints and inconveniences have been prolonged due to bus driver unfriendliness, increased cases of reckless driving, failure to stop at bus stops, and the qualitative decline of public transportation services.

Starting with this report meeting, the city plans to vigorously promote an efficient, demand-centered route reorganization prioritizing the reduction of loss subsidies provided to transportation companies and the improvement of public transportation benefits for citizens.

The reorganization plan broadly consists of ‘establishing a route system connecting city buses with village buses/village taxis,’ ‘route efficiency reflecting transportation demand,’ ‘expansion of village taxis,’ ‘maintenance of trunk (Gwangju) routes,’ and ‘introduction of express buses.’

First, for city bus routes in remote and isolated villages with high empty bus rates, the number of trips will be increased from Naju and Yeongsanpo to the town and township centers based on transportation demand.

Instead, a ‘circular small village bus’ will be introduced on routes from town and township centers to natural villages to establish an efficient route system.

For remote and isolated villages with low bus usage, alternative transportation means such as ‘village taxis’ will be expanded and distributed to maximize residents’ mobility convenience.

Express buses, a direct operation system, will be newly established at major hubs with high public transportation demand such as Innovation City, Naju Station, and the old downtown area.

This will enable quick travel between Innovation City and key points in the old downtown, greatly contributing to the mutual economic development of both downtowns, exchanges among residents, and securing citizens’ right to mobility.

The city plans to hold ‘resident briefing sessions by town, township, and neighborhood’ to build community consensus on the city bus route reorganization plan.

Additionally, the ‘Naju City Public Transportation Innovation Citizens’ Committee’ has been formed to collect and reflect opinions from all walks of life.

The Public Transportation Innovation Citizens’ Committee will engage in various activities to promote the necessity and justification of the city bus route reorganization and to secure acceptance.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “We will prioritize improving kind and convenient public transportation services for citizens and promote an efficient major shift in city bus routes through collecting opinions from all sectors,” adding, “Starting with the route reorganization, we will do our best to achieve the 8th elected administration’s ‘demand-centered smart public transportation system.’”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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