Imsil County's Customized Mobility Service "Happy Call Bus and Taxi" Gaining Popularity

Guaranteeing Mobility Rights in Transportation-Disadvantaged Areas
Enhancing Local Transportation Welfare

The "Happy Call Bus and Taxi" project currently being promoted by Imsil County, North Jeolla Province, is guaranteeing the mobility rights of residents in transportation-disadvantaged areas and making a significant contribution to improving local transportation welfare.

The "Happy Call Bus and Taxi" project promoted by Imsil County is guaranteeing the mobility rights of residents in transportation-disadvantaged areas and significantly contributing to the improvement of local transportation welfare. Photo by Imsil County

According to the county on November 18, the Happy Call Bus and Taxi is a customized transportation service that supports residents who have difficulty using conventional public transportation, enabling them to conveniently visit town centers, traditional markets, hospitals, and other key destinations.

Currently, the Happy Call Bus operates in 37 villages, while the Happy Call Taxi serves 47 villages, firmly establishing themselves as essential, community-based transportation options for local residents.

The Happy Call Bus operates on a demand-responsive (call-based) system, requiring reservations through the Happy Call Center at least one hour in advance, and runs on weekdays, greatly enhancing the convenience of residents' travel.

The Happy Call Taxi is available to residents whose villages are more than 500 meters from the nearest bus stop, operating mainly on Mondays and market days, thereby alleviating transportation difficulties.

The service fees are also very affordable: the Happy Call Bus costs 1,000 won for adults (500 won for students), and the Happy Call Taxi is available at 2,000 won per ride, significantly reducing the financial burden on residents.

Since the initial pilot operation of the Happy Call project, the county has actively incorporated residents' feedback to ensure the stable establishment of the service.

In particular, with the improvement in travel convenience and accessibility, resident satisfaction has risen sharply, and the service has been praised as "restoring freedom in daily life." Given the rural area's large elderly population, the Happy Call Bus and Taxi are clearly serving as effective alternatives to discontinued village bus routes.

Going forward, the county plans to continuously gather feedback from users to further enhance the efficiency of the Happy Call service. This will include ongoing monitoring, adjusting transfer times, supplementing routes, and expanding village-level connections, with the goal of eliminating inconvenience even for short-distance travel.

County Governor Sim Min stated, "The Happy Call Bus and Taxi have become essential transportation welfare services for residents in remote areas," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to guarantee residents' mobility rights and improve their quality of life by leading efforts to enhance transportation conditions."

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