'If You Call, It Comes' Naju City to Pilot Bittgaram-dong Call Bus Service Starting September

Major Shift in Public Transportation under the 8th Elected Administration: Introduction of 'Demand-Responsive Service'

App and Call Center Requests... Reduced Waiting Time, Operating Distance, and Financial Savings

The ‘Naju Call Bus,’ a new concept public transportation system that comes and goes when passengers call without fixed routes or schedules, will be pilot operated in Bitgaram Innovation City, Naju, starting this September.

Immediately after the launch of the 8th local government administration, Naju City, which is promoting a bus route reorganization centered on passenger convenience under the banner of a major public transportation transformation, has produced its first result in Bitgaram-dong, the area with the highest public transportation demand.

Naju City (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 31st that it has finally selected ‘Studio Galilee’ (CEO Kim Hyun-myung), a smart mobility platform venture startup, as the operator of the ‘Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) service’ platform in Bitgaram-dong through a public contest.

Naju City 'Baro DRT (Naju Call Bus)' Pilot Project Bird's-eye View [Photo by Naju City]

The Naju City DRT pilot project, planned under the name ‘Naju Call Bus,’ is a demand-responsive public transportation service optimized according to user demand.

DRT vehicles operate flexibly with routes and schedules designed in real-time based on passenger calls, rather than following fixed routes and timetables.

This project was introduced to resolve the imbalance between public transportation demand and supply within the innovation city, which has a population approaching 40,000.

As the population of the innovation city increases, internal traffic volume continues to rise, but the supply of public circular bus routes within the city is insufficient, leading to ongoing citizen demands for more routes.

The Naju Call Bus will be pilot operated for six months from September this year to February next year, covering the Bitgaram-dong area (approximately 7 km²).

Bus calls will be conveniently available through a mobile app. Considering elderly residents who are not familiar with smartphones, a call center service for bus calls will also be provided.

According to an analysis of pre-simulation results using the DRT platform developed by the selected operator Studio Galilee, the average passenger waiting time for the Naju Call Bus is expected to be drastically reduced by about 77.3%, from the existing 32.2 minutes to 7.3 minutes.

Vehicle operation distance and operating costs are also analyzed to be reduced by 50.3% and 8.5%, respectively, compared to the current situation.

The operator explained that this will have a positive impact not only on accessibility and convenience for public transportation users but also on the finances of transportation companies and local governments.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae of Naju expressed his expectations, saying, “The Naju Call Bus in the innovation city will be a customized service specialized for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and pregnant women, as well as general passengers, and will be a groundbreaking public transportation means that enhances user accessibility and convenience while saving finances.”

He added, “Based on the results of the transportation master plan establishment project to solve public transportation issues in the 8th local government administration, we plan to promptly complete a comprehensive route reorganization prioritizing passenger mobility convenience.”

Meanwhile, Naju City is promoting a comprehensive public transportation route reorganization plan, including ‘establishing a route system connecting city buses with village buses/village taxis,’ ‘introducing express buses between the innovation city and Naju/Yeongsanpo,’ ‘maintaining trunk (Gwangju) routes,’ and ‘reorganizing innovation city circular bus routes.’

From June to July, the city plans to hold 20 town and township tour briefings on the overall route reorganization plan and a public briefing on Naju transportation subsidies in June.

Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yuk-bong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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