ULSAN — Residents of Ulsan named shorter waits between buses as the most urgent task in the city's planned overhaul of bus routes. Demand was also strong for reviving discontinued routes and creating new lines linking districts such as Seosa and Samsan.
Ulsan said on the 14th that it had released interim results from a public opinion survey being conducted for the route overhaul. The survey runs online and offline from Aug. 26 through Oct. 31. As of the end of September, a total of 9,448 people had taken part, including 8,485 online and 963 offline.
Of 8,432 responses related to route adjustments in the interim tally, 4,313, or 51.1%, called for shorter headways, accounting for more than half. Route changes accounted for 2,478 responses, or 29.4%, and route adjustments and shortening for 1,641, or 19.5%. The city said it would analyze demand and operating conditions on each route and draw up plans to add vehicles and improve service intervals.
Among requests for new routes, the most common was a line running from the Seosa area to Guyeong, Gulhwa and Sinbok, cited by 928 people. That was followed by Seosa to Samsan with 156, Okhyeon Complex 3 to Samsan with 43, Seongan to Samsan with 35, and Mugeo to Samsan with 33. The city will review new routes and path adjustments by weighing demand by origin and destination, overlap with existing routes, and transfer convenience.
Residents also repeatedly asked the city to revive routes scrapped in the past. Restoring former Route 307 drew the most support with 535 people, followed by former Route 123 with 264, former Route 127 with 184, former Route 106 with 118, and former Route 1703 with 107. The city gave priority to former routes 307 and 123, where requests were concentrated, reopening both on Oct. 3. It will decide whether to restore the remaining routes after reviewing traffic conditions and connectivity.
Suggestions on easing rush-hour crowding and improving operations were also submitted. Residents asked the city to allow standing passengers on express buses such as routes 1452 and 1715 and to relieve overcrowding on congested routes including 114, 723 and 1421. They also called for more frequent service toward the Onsan Industrial Complex during commuting hours and for fixing the problem of buses on similar routes arriving back to back.
Among respondents, 55.5% said they ride buses five or more times a week, the largest group, while 22.4% ride three to four times a week. Trip purposes were commuting to work or school at 32.8%, business at 22.1%, leisure and gatherings at 18.4%, hospital visits at 15.3%, and trips to markets and supermarkets at 11.4%. The most frequently used routes were 213 with 779 people, 124 with 601, 134 with 566, 115 with 547, and 114 with 522. Respondents in their 30s made up 19.9%, those in their 50s 18.1%, those in their 20s 17.4%, and those in their 40s 17.2%.
Ulsan will collect opinions through the end of this month and release final results in November. The data will serve as baseline material for a route overhaul study running from November through June next year. The city plans to draft a reform proposal by April next year, hold public briefings in May and complete revisions in June, then carry out the overhaul in the second half of next year.
An Ulsan city official said, "This survey allowed us to confirm in concrete terms the actual inconveniences residents face and what improvements they want," adding, "We will comprehensively review demand and operating conditions to draw up a route overhaul plan that residents can feel the effects of."