– Expansion and operation of all living areas from the 1st… Plan to increase fleet from 15 to 30 –
Sejong City's urban demand response bus, 'Ieung Bus', will be introduced to citizens for the first time on the 1st.
Sejong Special Self-Governing City (Mayor Choi Min-ho) announced that it will convert the urban demand response transportation (DRT) 'Shucle', which was operated under a regulatory special demonstration project in 2021, into a regular business.
The urban DRT 'Ieung Bus', introduced as a unique brand of Sejong City's urban demand response buses, contains the meaning of 'a bus that responds to movement'.
On this day, the city held a test drive event in the Boram-dong area to commemorate the operation of the Eung Bus.
About 20 people, including Mayor Choi Min-ho, city council members, and media, who participated in the test drive event directly experienced the expansion and operation of the demand response bus, which had been operated only in the first and second living areas, to all living areas.
The city plans to conduct a trial run of the 'Ieung Bus' from the 1st to the 7th and then officially operate it from the 8th.
Lee Eung Bus is a new concept of transportation that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to create and operate the optimal travel route in real time according to the demand of passengers.
However, in order to function as public transportation, boarding and disembarkation is centered around the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and bus stops.
Additionally, if passengers with similar routes make reservations during the same time slot, a detour route is automatically created and they can ride together.
The Ieung bus can be called and paid for through the city's integrated transportation platform 'Ieung' app, and the fare is 1,800 won for adults.
The vehicle is a 14-seat van that can accommodate up to 12 people and operates from 6 a.m. to midnight based on call time.
The city plans to start operating 15 Eung buses and sequentially increase the number to 30 in the future.
Mayor Choi Min-ho said, “The Lee Eung Bus will be an opportunity to take the first step toward public transportation innovation, such as eliminating blind spots in public transportation in the new downtown and establishing an efficient branch and main line system.”