Paju City Triples Village Bus Support Over Four Years... Ridership Surges by 81%

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on October 24 that, as a result of significantly expanding support for village buses over the past four years, the quality of public transportation services has greatly improved and village bus ridership has increased by 81%.

Paju City significantly expanded support for village buses over the past four years, resulting in a substantial improvement in public transportation service levels, with village bus ridership increasing by 81%. Provided by Paju City

The city increased its village bus budget by 226%, from 7.3 billion won in 2021 to 23.8 billion won in 2025. As a result, the number of village buses in operation grew by 67% over four years, from 130 to 217 vehicles.

In particular, the number of large vehicles rose by 807%, from 13 to 118, improving the comfort of citizens’ travel environments. The number of eco-friendly vehicles, such as low-floor and electric buses, also surged by 419%, from 26 to 135.

Thanks to this expanded support, the number of village bus passengers increased by 81%, from 10.05 million in 2021 to 18.24 million in 2025.

According to big data analysis of transportation card usage, the total number of public transportation users in Paju City increased by 34% during the same period. In particular, ridership on railways (51%) and village buses (81%) grew significantly, while usage of metropolitan buses (-6%) and city buses (-10%) declined.

According to a transfer analysis related to GTX (Great Train Express) by the Korea Transport Institute, Paju City implemented a ‘GTX-centered bus route reorganization,’ establishing, adding, or changing 93 vehicles across 13 routes. This reduced the average access time to GTX Unjeong Central Station from 38.2 minutes to 27.4 minutes (excluding the Goyang City section). The proportion of areas accessible within 30 minutes also increased significantly, from 23.5% before the reorganization to 60.9% after, earning recognition as a model case.

Kim Kyungil, Mayor of Paju City, stated, “Public transportation, especially village buses, is an essential and fundamental means of connecting citizens’ daily lives. We will continue to actively reflect citizens’ opinions and consistently improve the public transportation system.”

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