Naju-si to Operate Village Buses from September... Recruiting Transportation Operators

Naju City in Jeollanam-do will establish and operate a new 'village bus' route that circulates from eup and myeon centers to natural villages starting this September.

On the 7th, the city announced that it is recruiting village bus operators until the 20th to reorganize the public transportation route system in the 8th local government term, connecting 'trunk buses - city buses - village buses and taxis.'

The village bus is a public transportation means connecting 12 eup and myeon centers, including Nampyeong-eup, Donggang, Gongsan, Dado, Geumcheon, Seji, Bonghwang, Dasi, Munpyeong, and Noan myeon, with natural villages.

15-seater village bus
Photo by Naju City

The city plans to replace the existing medium-sized buses with 15-seat small buses to reduce operating costs and passenger waiting times, thereby improving operational efficiency.

Naju City is recruiting village bus operators nationwide who are established based on the 'Passenger Transport Service Act.'

The recruitment period is the first round until the 20th, and if there are no participants, a second round of recruitment will be conducted.

After receiving applications, the city will determine the eligibility of transport operators through a preliminary quantitative evaluation, and then the Village Bus Operator Selection Committee will make the final selection based on fair standards and procedures.

Detailed information and submission documents related to the recruitment of transport operators can be found on the city hall website under notices and announcements.

Along with the village bus, the city plans to publicly recruit demand-responsive public transportation (Naju Call Bus) operators in Bitgaram-dong and village taxi operators for pilot operation in myeon areas next month.

Additionally, among the public transportation route reorganization plans, trunk buses (routes 999 and 160) will operate via major residential areas in the Innovation City, reflecting citizen demand actively.

City buses connecting with the village bus will increase the number of trips from Naju and Yeongsanpo to eup and myeon centers to improve passenger convenience.

Express bus routes operating major hubs such as Naju, Yeongsanpo, Innovation City, and KTX Naju Station will also be newly established and operated starting this September.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, "With the introduction of the village bus, it will become a revolutionary public transportation means for village residents in eup and myeon areas who have suffered from infrequent service and long waiting times. Through the reorganization of city bus routes in the 8th local government term, we will reduce subsidies and greatly improve transportation convenience, achieving a major transformation in public transportation."

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

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