Changwon Special City Implements Complete Overhaul of City Bus Routes to Enhance Citizen Convenience

New Express Bus Routes Established in Outskirts from June 10

Improved Safety, Punctuality, and Speed through Route Optimization

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of city bus routes to enhance convenience for its citizens.

The city will reorganize the currently operating 150 city (village) bus routes with 726 buses into 137 routes without adding any extra buses, aiming to improve the safety, punctuality, and speed of public transportation. This reorganization will take effect from June 10.

Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

This route overhaul, the first in 18 years since the full route reorganization during the former Changwon City in 2005, includes the establishment of express buses in outer areas, efficiency improvements of major trunk and branch lines, strengthened connections and expanded free transfers (from 1 to 2 times) on the Woni-daero BRT section, the development of a rational operation system suited to urban conditions, and a pilot operation of demand-responsive buses (DRT).

◆Improved mobility from outer areas to downtown through express buses in outer regions

First, express buses will be introduced in outer towns and rural areas to improve access to the city center.

The scale includes a total of 8 routes with 44 buses, operating on routes such as Daesan/Dong-eup to Seongju-dong (No. 3000), Buk-myeon to City Hall (No. 3001), Naeseo to Nammun to Jinhae New Port (No. 3002), Jindong to Changwon Terminal/Changwon Central Station (Nos. 3003, 3004), Sujeong to Gusan-myeon to Changwon University (No. 3005), and Jinhae New Port to Nammun to Changwon University (No. 3006). Additionally, a BRT express bus connecting Deokdong (Hyeondong) and Seongjusa Station will be newly established.

As a result, travel times using city buses between outer and urban areas will be shortened, significantly improving travel efficiency for residents in outer regions.

◆Increased speed through efficiency improvements of major trunk and branch lines (reduced headways)

Among the currently operating major trunk and branch lines, routes with high overlap or low efficiency will be consolidated, reducing the number of routes from 150 to 137 to enhance route efficiency. Route curvature will also be adjusted to improve mobility. Headways on major trunk lines will be shortened by approximately 4 to 15 minutes. The proportion of less efficient seat-type routes will be reduced (from 9 routes with 80 buses to 5 routes with 43 buses), while the share of express and trunk routes will be increased (from 28 routes with 307 buses to 31 routes with 364 buses) to further improve route efficiency.

◆Strengthened connectivity on the Woni-daero S-BRT section and expanded free transfers (from 1 to 2 times) to enhance transfer convenience

With the planned construction of the Woni-daero (Dokye Square to Gaeumjeong Intersection) S-BRT (Changwon Trunk Express System) within the year, the number of city buses operating on the Woni-daero S-BRT section has been increased from 312 to 351 to boost usage and improve transfer convenience centered on the S-BRT section.

One new BRT express route and one general BRT route operating on the Woni-daero S-BRT section have been introduced to enable faster travel and more efficient transfers between major zones. Additionally, free transfers on city buses have been expanded from one to two times to improve transfer convenience.

◆Establishment of a realistic operation system suited to changed urban conditions

In this route reorganization, some routes will operate with flexible scheduling.

Flexible scheduling means reducing headways during peak commuting hours to meet citizen demand, while extending headways during off-peak hours with relatively lower demand.

This approach satisfies citizen demand while allowing bus drivers more operational leeway, thereby enhancing the safety and speed of public transportation.

Furthermore, to minimize citizen inconvenience caused by issues such as bus bunching and non-compliance with headways, intermediate stops (2 to 3 per route) will have designated timetables introduced on a pilot basis for some routes, with plans for continuous improvement and expansion in the future.

◆Pilot operation of demand-responsive buses (DRT) on the Changwon Central Station to Jungang-daero section

A pilot operation of demand-responsive buses (DRT) will be conducted on the route between Changwon Central Station and Jungang-daero to diversify public transportation options.

Demand-responsive buses (DRT) are public transportation services that do not have fixed routes or timetables but operate flexibly according to user demand. They are categorized into area-based, route-based, and taxi-type operations.

Through the DRT pilot operation in the second half of this year, the effectiveness of DRT operations will be assessed. When the DRT service contract is implemented later this year, the pilot operation analysis and detailed examination of regional characteristics will be conducted to establish and implement a Changwon-style DRT system tailored to the city's characteristics in the first half of next year.

Details of the city bus route reorganization are available on the Changwon City Bus Information System and the Changwon City official website.

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