Incheon City to Introduce Semi-Public Operation System for Metropolitan Buses in the Second Half of Next Year... 25 Routes

by Park Haesook

Published 23 Mar.2023 15:53(KST)

Incheon City will introduce a quasi-public operation system for intercity buses following its implementation on city buses.

The city announced on the 23rd that it plans to implement the quasi-public operation system for intercity buses starting in the second half of next year.

The targets for the intercity bus quasi-public operation system include 19 direct-seat routes (7 companies, 251 buses) and 6 metropolitan express (M-bus) routes (5 companies, 75 buses). Since 2009, the quasi-public operation system for Incheon city buses currently operates 186 routes (34 companies, 1,903 buses).

The city decided to introduce the quasi-public operation system due to prolonged COVID-19 causing severe financial difficulties for bus companies, leading to reduced intercity bus operations and route cancellations, which increased inconvenience for citizens' transportation.

The city expects this decision to fundamentally improve the quality of transportation services and resolve issues such as bus operation reductions caused by deficits in transportation revenue.

The direct-seat quasi-public operation system will be implemented in a form where transportation revenue is jointly managed by the city and bus companies, while the metropolitan express system will be promoted through route bidding. The city plans to consult with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Metropolitan Area Transport Committee and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to secure national funding necessary for the route bidding type quasi-public operation system.

Additionally, starting from the second half of this year, the city will conduct research to calculate appropriate standard transportation costs and review improvement measures for problems arising from the Incheon city bus and other regional quasi-public operation systems.

On the same day, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Shin Jae-ho, chairman of the Bus Transportation Business Association, and Kim Seong-tae, chairman of the Incheon branch of the National Automobile Labor Union Federation, at City Hall to request active cooperation for the successful implementation of the intercity bus quasi-public operation system.