"Seniors Benefit from Medical Center, Children from Safety Shuttle... Hwacheon County Bridges Transportation Welfare Gap"

Hwacheon County Sees Surge in Shuttle Use Among Transportation-Vulnerable Groups
Tailored Services for Seniors and Children Who Face Challenges Using Public Transit

The number of users taking advantage of transportation services provided by Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province for vulnerable groups has been increasing every year.

The Hwacheon County Medical Center free shuttle, operated since 2019, provides convenient transportation services to vulnerable residents such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and young students. Provided by Hwacheon County

The free shuttle service, introduced by the county medical center in 2019, has become an essential service for seniors, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.

Those who have difficulty using public transportation now rely on the shuttle, which arrives at designated times and locations on weekdays, to travel between their homes and the medical center for treatment.

Over the past three years, the number of county residents using the free shuttle has steadily increased: 3,567 in 2023, 4,501 in 2024, and 4,603 in 2025.

As of the end of February 2026, the population aged 65 and over in Hwacheon stood at 6,736, accounting for about 30% of the total population.

Since the launch of the program in November 2019, nearly half of the 21,063 accumulated users up to last year were seniors aged 65 and above, totaling 9,956 individuals.

The shuttle not only serves seniors visiting the medical center but also functions as a school bus for students commuting early in the morning.

10,966 students, representing half of the total accumulated users, have used the shuttle for their school commute.

As a result, the county medical center has become a welcoming community hub where seniors can easily drop by for acupuncture or medical consultations, much like visiting a neighborhood gathering place.

While seniors benefit from the free shuttle operated by the medical center, elementary school students have access to the smart safety shuttle.

The smart safety shuttle allows elementary students to summon a bus from designated locations using their smartphones and travel directly to their desired stops.

The Smart Safe Shuttle introduced by Hwacheon County in 2022 allows elementary school students to call the shuttle to their desired bus stop and ride free of charge to their chosen destination. Provided by Hwacheon County

Starting with the operation of the first vehicle in Hwacheon-eup in 2021, Hwacheon County now operates three smart safety shuttles in Hwacheon-eup and three in Sanae-myeon.

This enables students to conveniently travel to and from various educational support facilities run by the county, such as the children's library, Hwacheon Community Center, youth training center, Sanae library, and learning center, at their preferred times.

In the past three years, the number of users has been recorded at 18,953 in 2023, 24,094 in 2024, and 35,245 in 2025.

Choi Moonsoon, Mayor of Hwacheon County, stated, "We will continue our efforts to ensure that seniors, people with disabilities, and young students can receive medical care and pursue learning opportunities whenever they wish, without worrying about transportation or distance."

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