Icheon City Launches Pilot Operation of "Tonghaki" Student Shuttle Bus

Operation in Two Transportation-Challenged Areas
Serving 14 Middle and High Schools on a Shuttle Route

Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced on October 13, 2025, that it will begin a pilot operation of a "student shuttle bus" to support middle and high school students in areas with limited transportation options.

This bus service was established to improve the commuting conditions for students living in areas where travel times are long and transfers are inconvenient. Prior to launching the service, the city conducted a preliminary analysis starting in September of the previous year, which included a student demand survey, consultations with the Office of Education and transportation companies, and benchmarking of similar programs in other cities and counties.

Participants pledge to improve the commuting environment for students at the test ride event of the Icheon City student shuttle bus. Photo by Icheon City

As a result, two pilot routes were designated: Bubal~Jeungpo·Galsan~downtown area and Baeksa~Sindun~downtown area. Operations on these routes began on October 13, 2025.

For this pilot program, four large buses have been deployed, operating once in the morning for school arrival and twice in the afternoon for school dismissal. The routes serve a total of 14 schools, and approximately 187 students are expected to use the service. The fare is the same as the Gyeonggi Province city bus youth fare, and transfer discounts are also available.

Detailed route information can be found on the city's official website, and can also be checked via the Gyeonggi Bus Information app and other platforms.

To commemorate the launch, a test ride event was held on October 13, 2025, attended by Mayor Kim Kyunghee, Park Myungseo, Chairperson of the City Council, Kim Eunjeong, Superintendent of the Icheon Office of Education, and other officials. Participants boarded at Hyoyang Middle and High School and disembarked at Ihyeon High School, where they spoke with students.

The city plans to review any issues and improvements identified during the pilot operation and aims to officially launch the service in March of next year.

Mayor Kim stated, "We will closely monitor the pilot operation to ensure students can commute more conveniently, and we will make any necessary improvements as we move forward."

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