Gyeonggi Province operated double-decker bus on 3 routes for 3 weeks and served 276 passengers on average per day

Survey of users shows 71% responding positively and 89% favoring adoption on inter-city routes 

◇ The trial operation of double-decker buses, which is under consideration by Gyeonggi Province to facilitate the no-standing policy on intercity bus routes, received very positive responses from users, with 89% in favor of adopting double-decker buses on inter-city routes. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

Gyeonggi Province completed the trail operation of double-decker buses, which are under consideration to facilitate the no-standing policy on intercity bus routes. 

The province has operated double-decker buses for the past three weeks on: bus route 7770 (Suwon Station to Sadang Station) from December 8 to 12; bus route M6117 (Gimpo Han River New Town to Seoul Station) from December 15 to 19; and bus route 8012 (Kyungbok College in Namyangju to Jamsil Station) from December 22 to 26. 

According to the province, an average of 276 people per day used the double-decker buses, and the buses were almost full, especially during the morning commute hours with 61 passengers (bound for Seoul), and with 68 passengers (bound for Gyeonggi) during the afternoon commute hours. 

The survey of users conducted by the Gyeonggi Research Institute reported 71% positive, 25% indifferent, and 5% negative responses. With 89% of those surveyed in favor of adopting double-decker buses for inter-city routes, the results showed that more people rated it positively. 

Regarding the time required to get on and off the bus, which was initially pointed out as a problem for the double-decker bus, it was measured at 3.42 seconds for each passenger. Although it took about 7% more time compared with 3.20 seconds for a single-deck bus, the delay was deemed not serious. For the safety issues involving the height and stairs of the bus, an in-depth analysis will be performed with specialized agencies to devise alternatives. 

An official of the province said, “We’re going to release the results of suitability assessment of the double-decker bus in mid-January based on the comprehensive findings from the user survey, public opinion gathered through social networking sites, and the survey undertaken by the Gyeonggi Research Institute.”

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Lee Jun-Kyun eyekle@hanmail.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201412291257587055C048&s_code=C048