'One in Ten Teens' Use Ddareungi: 4,500 Bikes, The Real Reason They Are Disposed of Every Year

10% Replacement of Seoul City's Total Fleet
Unauthorized Street Abandonment After Use Identified as Cause

Seoul's public bicycles were first introduced at the end of 2010 under the name 'Seoul Bike' during Mayor Oh Se-hoon's tenure, with 44 rental stations and 440 bicycles operating between Yeouido and Sangam districts. Since 2015, the service has been operated under the name 'Ddarungi,' expanding its infrastructure to 150 rental stations and 2,000 bicycles across five major hubs (inside the Four Great Gates, Yeouido, Sangam, Sinchon, and Seongsu-dong), serving as a convenient transportation option for Seoul citizens.

The total number of Ddarungi bicycles currently owned by Seoul City is 45,000. Recently, the Seoul Facilities Corporation, which operates the Ddarungi service under commission from Seoul City, announced that 4,500 Ddarungi bicycles were discarded last year due to malfunctions and other reasons. In addition to simple malfunctions, bicycles that had been used beyond a certain period or distance were also included in the discarded category based on inspection results.

A view of a Ddareungi bicycle rental station in Seoul city.
Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

The number of discarded Ddarungi bicycles has been steadily increasing. The discarded count surged from 2,330 units in 2019 to 4,500 in 2020, then decreased to 2,330 and 2,105 units in 2021 and 2022 respectively, but rose sharply again to 4,500 last year. The number of serviced Ddarungi bicycles has also increased annually. In 2021, 126,168 bicycles were serviced; in 2022, 131,623; and last year, 137,238. According to the Facilities Corporation, they proactively maintain various parts ranging from small components like bells and mudguards to major parts such as chains and terminals, considering citizen safety.

Some analysts attribute the increase in discarded and serviced Ddarungi bicycles mainly to the rise in cases where citizens leave bicycles on streets or in secluded areas instead of returning them to official rental stations after use. In fact, the number of lost Ddarungi bicycles increased about 400 times from just 1 unit each in 2016 and 2017, the early years of service operation, to 403 units last year. Although 1,017 bicycles were lost in 2020 alone, the introduction of 'QR Ddarungi,' which supports GPS tracking, has reportedly helped reduce the number of lost bicycles since then.

A representative from the Facilities Corporation stated, "There are many cases where Ddarungi bicycles are returned or left in places other than official rental stations, which hinders proper collection and makes management more difficult. We continue efforts to reduce abandonment by sending notices through the app, website, and social media, urging users to return bicycles to rental stations."

Increasing Number of Ddarungi Users Every Year

The number of rides using Seoul's public bicycle service 'Ddareungi' surpassed 140 million as of the end of May last year. This marks approximately 7 years and 4 months since the city officially launched the Ddareungi service in December 2015.
[Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@]

The cumulative number of rides on Seoul's public bicycle 'Ddarungi' surpassed 140 million as of the end of May last year. This milestone was reached approximately 7 years and 4 months after the official launch of the Ddarungi service in December 2015. Usage has steadily increased every year. Last year, there were 40.95 million rides, a 27.7% increase from the previous year, representing a 204-fold growth compared to the 200,000 rides in the first year of operation. The cumulative travel distance was recorded at 387 million kilometers, which is equivalent to about 510 round trips assuming the shortest distance from Earth to the Moon is 380,000 km.

The proportion of regular subscribers, representing fixed demand, in total Ddarungi rentals has steadily increased over the past three years: 74.8% in 2020, 77.9% in 2021, and 80.3% in 2022. As of April last year, among the 25 autonomous districts, Gangseo-gu, Songpa-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu had the highest usage. During weekday morning rush hours (7?9 a.m.), the top three rental locations were near Magoknaru Station, followed by Sindorim Station and Daebang Station.

During evening rush hours (5?7 p.m.), rental volumes were high near Magoknaru Station, Lotte World Tower, in front of Kookmin Ilbo, and near Guro Digital Complex. On weekend afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m., rental demand was concentrated around Han River bike paths such as Mangwon Interchange, Ttukseom Resort Station, Nodeul Island, and Olympic Park. Foreign usage of Ddarungi increased by 167%, from 18,693 rides in 2021 to 49,905 rides in 2022, recovering to levels exceeding those before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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