Seoul City Operates 'Visiting Rest Areas' in Delivery Rider Dense Areas... Touring Over 20 Locations by Year-End

Camping Car Converted to Serve High Delivery Demand at Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Jongno Marronnier Park, and 20 Other Locations
Three Vehicles Stop for 3-5 Days at Each Major Site... Providing Rest Areas, Beverages, Snacks, and Winter Supplies

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 23rd, Seoul City announced that it will operate a “Visiting Mobile Worker Rest Area” until the end of the year in areas densely populated by mobile workers such as delivery riders and quick service couriers, who previously had no proper place to rest even during short breaks while working.

Delivery riders and quick service couriers often have short call waiting times of around 30 minutes, making it difficult for them to intentionally visit indoor rest areas or park their motorcycles and rest in cafes or restaurants. In response, Seoul City decided to operate a mobile rest area by directly visiting areas densely populated by mobile workers using camper vans converted into rest spaces, reflecting the field situation and demands.

The “Visiting Mobile Worker Rest Area” will be initially installed and operated at about 20 locations where delivery and shipping orders peak during daytime hours, such as Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Jongno Maronie Park, and near Wangsimni Station, until the end of the year. This year, locations proposed by delivery rider organizations will be prioritized for visits, and later, locations will be selected and visited through big data analysis with the cooperation of delivery platform companies.

The rest area operation method involves three camper vans converted into rest spaces continuously visiting designated locations for 3 to 5 days to provide services. The duration of visits per location is determined based on the density of mobile workers nearby, and operating hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The visiting rest areas were converted from camper vans to enhance accessibility and efficiency. Inside, tables and sofas are installed to allow as many workers as possible to sit and rest, and an external window is opened to create a bar that offers warm coffee, tea, and light refreshments to mobile workers. In particular, parking spaces were secured around the rest areas to allow mobile workers who mainly use two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and electric bicycles to park briefly and rest comfortably, improving convenience for visitors. The rest areas were also installed along routes frequently used by mobile workers to improve accessibility.

Currently, Seoul City also operates five indoor “Hyu (休) Mobile Worker Rest Areas” located in Seocho, Hapjeong, Bukchang, Nokbeon, and Sangam. Since the opening of the first rest area in Seocho in 2016, a total of 225,866 mobile workers have visited these rest areas, with an average of about 3,800 workers using them monthly this year.

The “Hyu (休) Mobile Worker Rest Areas” are located inside buildings and provide various services such as resting spaces open to anyone, computers, massage chairs, blood pressure monitors, and mobile phone chargers. The Seocho and Hapjeong rest areas, where demand for designated driver services is high, operate until 6 a.m., allowing mobile workers who wait for calls until dawn or wait for the first public transportation after work to rest comfortably. Additionally, the Bukchang rest area, frequently used by quick service couriers, is equipped with simple motorcycle maintenance tools and offers motorcycle repair training sessions.

Han Young-hee, Seoul City’s Labor, Fairness, and Coexistence Policy Officer, said, “We decided to operate visiting rest areas reflecting the demands of mobile workers such as delivery riders, whose entire rest time is often just call waiting time. We will strive to protect the health and rest rights of vulnerable workers by preparing various labor environment improvement measures, including visiting rest areas that enhance accessibility and convenience.”

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