Gyeonggi Province to Deploy 200 Charter and Public Buses on Oct. 30 in Case of General Strike

In preparation for a possible general strike of city and intercity buses in the Gyeonggi region on the 30th, emergency transportation measures will be implemented to deploy approximately 200 charter and public buses to major transit hubs in 15 cities.

Yoon Tae-wan, Director of the Transportation Department at Gyeonggi Provincial Government, announced 'Emergency Transportation Measures for Gyeonggi Province City and Intercity Bus Strike' at a briefing on the morning of the 29th. If the strike materializes, an estimated 3,798 buses (35.7%) belonging to 29 operators out of a total of 10,631 city and intercity buses are expected to participate in the strike, affecting a total of 15 cities including 12 cities in southern Gyeonggi and 3 cities in northern Gyeonggi.

Director Yoon stated, "We are operating a situation room from 09:00 this morning (29th) and are maintaining a 24-hour emergency response system. We will do our utmost to address strike trends, citizen safety, and emergency transportation measures in the bus, taxi, and railway sectors."

The province will first designate 160 major transit hubs including 15 major subway stations in the 15 cities such as Suwon Station, Giheung Station, and Daehwa Station, as well as terminals, as primary boarding points during the strike period, and plans to deploy approximately 200 charter and public buses to operate circular routes between hubs.

Additionally, the province plans to intensify dispatch of approximately 2,300 buses on approximately 630 village bus routes during peak commute hours, and will encourage approximately 27,000 taxis to operate to the maximum extent possible.

The province will also increase the frequency of Seoul metropolitan and light rail operations during peak commute hours and strengthen safety management by stationing information staff within stations to prepare for congestion.

Citizens will be informed of strike situations and alternative transportation options in a timely manner through the Gyeonggi Province Bus Information System (gbis.go.kr), provincial and municipal websites, social media, and notices at bus stops.