Demand for Jongno 07 Bus
On Sungkyungwan University (SKKU) Humanities and Social Sciences Campus (HSSC), many Kingos take the shuttle bus or the Jongno 08 bus since it is difficult to walk up the steep hills of the school. Currently, seven shuttle buses are running, but boarding the bus during lecture hours is challenging because of overcrowding. Moon Yeshin (Junior, Department of Global Leader) said, “I was on the verge of giving up taking the shuttle bus to my morning lecture.” Due to the congestion of the shuttle bus, many Kingos choose the Jongno 08 bus as an alternative. However, there are significant drawbacks, such as its inability to enter the school. Meanwhile, the Jongno 07 bus has shut down from October 2022 to 2023 September 30th. Initially, the Jongno 07 ran every 20 to 25 minutes from the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives Building (KFCC) to Ihwa Sageori. The entry of Jongno 07 on campus was also discussed as a plan to gradually discontinue the shuttle bus services in 2018. However, during the second District Route Evaluation Committee, the proposal was ultimately rejected due to concerns about accelerating traffic jams and was criticized for passing the school’s responsibilities to the local community. Still, an alternative solution on this matter is necessary due to the inconvenience of students and the increase of offline classes following the recovery from the pandemic. In response, the 55th Student Council of SKKUP has promised to enable the Jongno 07 to enter campus, which had been suspended since their candidacy.
A Win-Win Approach
At the end of February, SKKUP met with Jongno District Office to discuss the direction of the cooperation. At the meeting, the SKKU HSSC Student Council, Jongno District Office, and Waryong Transportation were present to discuss each party’s perspectives and look for a possible solution. The student council argued for an increase in school buses based on decreased transportation costs through transfers, the connection between the school and the local community, and increased mobility. Waryong Transportation and Jongno District Office responded positively, mentioning the collaboration with the Jongno bus transportation company. During the Daedongje period, a test run of the Waryong Transportation route from Hyehwa Station to SKKU was promised and executed successfully. Meanwhile, certain merchants opposed the plan, citing factors such as the decline in local business. In response, SKKUP HSSC held constant meetings with Hyehwa’s local merchants to exchange perspectives, and they reached an agreement that restricting bus entry is not the fundamental cause of the business decline. In June, according to SKKUP, a survey about the demand for the campus entrance of the Jongno 07 bus was conducted which about 97% of Kingos agreed to. Based on the survey results, the Jongno District Route Evaluation Committee deliberated the route extension in August. According to the implementation plan, two Jongno 07 buses are scheduled to operate along the Myeongnyun KFCC, Ihwa Sageori, Sungkyunkwan University Station route. SKKUP HSSC stated that they are considering various promotional methods for gradual expansion and are planning to gather opinions even after its launch. SKKUP HSSC added, “We expect a positive impact that we will meet the demands of Kingos and activate regional transportation.”