'Ddokbus' Service to Operate from the 8th in Pyeongdong, Suwon

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun is delivering a greeting at the 'Ddokbus Phase 2 Opening Ceremony' held on the upper space of Gosaek Station on the Suin Line on the 8th.

A new concept transportation service called ‘Ddokbus,’ which comes when passengers call without fixed routes or schedules, has officially started operating in the Pyeong-dong area of Suwon.

The Suwon City announced that after conducting a pilot operation of Ddokbus in the Pyeong-dong area from the 2nd to the 7th, it began daily operations from 6 a.m. to midnight starting on the 8th, with five 11-seater and five 7-seater vehicles.

‘Ddokbus,’ meaning ‘smartly moving bus,’ is a Gyeonggi-do type demand-responsive transport (DRT) brand. It operates flexibly within a designated area based on passenger reservations and calls, without fixed routes or schedules. Using artificial intelligence (AI), it follows the optimal travel route tailored in real-time to passenger demand.

Passengers can call and pay for Ddokbus through the integrated transportation platform app ‘Ddokta,’ operated by Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation. When a passenger calls, the system calculates and informs the passenger in real-time of the route, boarding point, and boarding/alighting times based on the nearest Ddokbus.

If passengers with similar travel routes book at the same time, the AI generates a detour route in real-time to enable ride-sharing.

The fare is 1,450 KRW (based on transportation card), the same as regular city buses, and integrated metropolitan area transfer discounts apply.

Since its pilot introduction in December 2021 in the Unjeong New Town and Gyoha District areas of Paju, Ddokbus is currently operating in 16 cities and counties in Gyeonggi-do.

Suwon City plans to add 10 Ddokbus vehicles in three phases in the Dangsujigu area by the first half of next year.

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