On April 3, Seoh Yeon-ok, a preliminary candidate for Pyeongtaek mayor from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), met with union leaders representing the city’s bus operators to discuss public bus depot management, route adjustments, drivers’ rest conditions and other transit issues.
Meeting participants identified several key concerns: a lack of communication in public depot operations, challenges in adjusting dispatch schedules, the need to expand routes serving the new town development, and the necessity of improving bus drivers’ rest facilities.
Union representatives stressed that improving working conditions for bus operators—who are responsible for ensuring citizens’ mobility—is urgent. They urged that these issues be reflected in policy and that a permanent channel for ongoing dialogue be established.
They called for policy design grounded in frontline conditions and for the creation of a sustained communication mechanism between officials and transit workers.
The meeting was convened to hear firsthand the practical problems facing Pyeongtaek’s public transit operations and to determine which issues should be incorporated into future policy. Because public depot management, route expansion and better rest conditions affect both rider convenience and worker welfare, they are central priorities for local transit policy.
Seoh said, “Public transit policy should begin with the voices of those who meet citizens every day in the field, not from behind a desk. I will carefully review the issues raised today—public depot operations, route adjustments and improvements to working conditions—and convert them into concrete policies.” She added, “We cannot improve service for citizens without improving treatment of bus workers. I will start by decisively reforming the public transit system that serves as citizens’ primary means of travel.”
Pyeongtaek — Kim Dong-sung
