Seongdong-gu Provides 320,000 KRW Support Per Village Bus Driver

Seongdong-gu Signs Win-Win Agreement with Transportation Companies... Providing 320,000 KRW per Village Bus Driver

Seongdong-gu Quickly Amends Ordinance to Expand Support for 7 Transportation Companies from August, Following Seoul City's Support Plan

First Among Seoul's Autonomous Districts to Provide Approximately 320,000 KRW Monthly per Village Bus Driver to Maintain Seongdong-gu Living Wage Level

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) signed a win-win agreement with village bus transportation companies on the 3rd, focusing on expanding financial support for deficit companies.

This aims to resolve the intensified labor shortages and management difficulties faced by village bus companies during the prolonged COVID-19 period, minimizing transportation inconveniences for residents caused by the reduction of village bus operations. On the 3rd of this month, Seongdong-gu held a win-win agreement ceremony with seven village bus transportation companies to ensure the stable operation of village buses, which serve as the residents' means of transportation. This created a platform for mutual cooperation to improve residents' transportation convenience through the establishment of a stable management environment for village bus companies.

Following Seoul City's plan announced in April to expand financial support for deficit village bus companies, Seongdong-gu promptly amended its ordinance to provide financial support to transportation companies. With this ordinance revision, a total of 57 village buses operated by seven transportation companies, including 11 buses added between 2011 and February 2020 that were previously excluded from Seoul City's support, will be eligible for Seoul City's support starting in August.

Due to low wages and poor working conditions, many village bus drivers have been leaving for gig work such as platform labor or delivery services. The total number of village bus drivers in Seongdong-gu decreased by 23.5%, from 136 in December 2019 before COVID-19 to 104 as of July 2023. Additionally, as the financial difficulties of transportation companies accelerated, dispatch intervals lengthened, and residents experienced significant inconvenience due to driver turnover and resulting unfriendliness.

The wages of village bus drivers, essential workers in our society, remain at the minimum hourly wage level (9,620 KRW per hour). Seongdong-gu recognized the urgent need to establish a stable employment environment for village bus companies. Accordingly, it became the first autonomous district in Seoul to supplement drivers' wages to the 2023 Seongdong-gu living wage level of 11,157 KRW per hour, providing an additional 321,230 KRW per person monthly starting in August.

Prior to this, Seongdong-gu enacted the "Ordinance on Financial Support for Village Buses in Seongdong-gu, Seoul" in 2020 and has been providing financial support since 2021 for vehicles not covered by Seoul City's support.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, lifestyle changes such as the activation of remote work greatly reduced village bus passengers, causing financial difficulties for companies and inconvenience for residents. We hope that this financial support will normalize village bus operations, the residents' means of transportation, and create transportation conditions where residents can travel comfortably."

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