Gyeonggi invites residents facing long commutes to Seoul to propose bus routes

Residents of Gyeonggi Province can directly propose the bus routes they need for their commutes, giving them a standing invitation to participate in the province’s route planning.

Gyeonggi Province said last week it has opened a proposal board where residents can suggest routes for Gyeonggi Pyeonha G Bus, a reserved-seat rush-hour bus service that connects major hubs in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The board is designed to factor actual commute demand data into new route selection and is open to proposals at any time. Each resident can propose one route and may edit an existing proposal if their needs change. Proposals are regularly forwarded to the city or county where each route would start, to inform reviews of new routes.

Proposed routes are selected only after cities and counties assess feasibility, draw up business plans, survey demand, secure budgets and consult other relevant local governments.

The province will look first at areas such as new towns, where commuting is difficult due to a lack of buses, subways or other transit methods. Areas where demand is concentrated at rush hour but a conventional express bus route are hard to add are also key targets for review.

The province plans to decide which proposed routes to open first by weighing each area’s urgency, expected demand, overlap with existing routes and operational feasibility.

Five new routes in Pyeongtaek, Yangju, Hwaseong and Uiwang were selected in July, based on departure points and destinations proposed by residents, as well as rush-hour traffic demand. They began operating earlier this month.

“We have built an ongoing communication channel that takes in the commuter routes residents actually need and reflects them in policy,” a Gyeonggi Province official said. “Based on residents’ proposals, we will gradually expand Gyeonggi Pyeonha G Bus after closely reviewing route feasibility and urgency, focusing on areas where commuting demand is concentrated.”