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Busan Metropolitan City to Urgently Expand Commuter Bus Services to Noksan Industrial Complex by Seven Vehicles in Preemptive Response to the Middle East Energy Crisis

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, together with the Busan Economic Promotion Agency headed by President Song Bok-cheol, announced that it will urgently deploy seven additional commuter buses on major Noksan Industrial Complex routes from May 18 to September 30 in order to ease commuting burdens on industrial complex workers amid prolonged instability in the Middle East, rising international oil prices, and the government’s energy demand reduction policy.

This measure is intended to alleviate congestion on Noksan Industrial Complex routes, which currently show high commuter bus occupancy rates, and to proactively respond to anticipated commuting inconveniences in the event of expanded government vehicle rotation policies and other energy-saving measures.

Currently, approximately 57.1 percent of workers in industrial complexes located in Busan’s Gangseo-gu, or about 48,535 people, commute by private vehicle.

In particular, as volatility in international oil prices has recently increased, fuel cost burdens have also risen, resulting in continuous calls for expanded commuter bus services.

Through this emergency measure, Busan Metropolitan City will deploy seven additional commuter buses focused on West Busan Noksan Industrial Complex routes, where occupancy rates during commuting hours have reached as high as 98 percent.

Since March, the city has already expanded commuter bus services by 10 vehicles, operating a total of 57 buses with 132 daily trips, including eight additional buses assigned exclusively to the West Busan area.

However, considering that congestion on major Noksan Industrial Complex routes remains high, the city decided to further increase services, expanding the number of buses operating in Noksan Industrial Complex from 15 to 22 vehicles.

Overall operations will also expand from the existing system of 57 commuter buses operating across 16 industrial complexes and 22 routes to a system of 64 buses operating 146 trips per day.

The routes receiving intensive expansion are four high-demand lines: Hadan–Noksan, Sasang–Noksan, Deokcheon–Noksan, and Dadaepo–Noksan.

The additional operations will run from May 18 through September 30. Detailed route information can be found through notices on “Sandantayo,” the dedicated mobile application for industrial complex commuter buses.

Busan Metropolitan City also plans to apply the QR code-based boarding authentication system through the “Sandantayo” app to the additional routes in order to manage route- and vehicle-specific usage data in real time.

In addition, the city will comprehensively review ongoing monitoring results, including oil price fluctuations and ridership conditions, to determine whether the expanded operations should be extended in the future.

This service expansion is being promoted not merely as commuting support but as part of a demand-oriented policy aimed at improving transportation convenience and service satisfaction for industrial complex workers.

Through “Sandantayo,” the dedicated industrial complex commuter bus application officially launched in October last year, users are provided with real-time vehicle location tracking and emergency notice services. Currently, approximately 4,000 workers are using the application.

The city has also continuously pursued route reorganizations reflecting on-site demand, including strengthened connections with Jwacheon Station on the Donghae Line and the establishment of new routes. In addition, signboards at 51 bus stops within the Noksan Industrial Complex have been replaced, and driver hospitality and safety training has been conducted concurrently.

The expansion of industrial complex commuter bus operations and service improvements are leading to higher user satisfaction.

According to the 2025 user satisfaction survey, satisfaction increased from 70 percent in the first half of the year to 76.8 percent in the second half. Annual ridership also reached a total of 619,935 passengers, an increase of 55,990 compared to the previous year.

Kim Bong-cheol, Assistant Mayor of Digital Economy Office, stated, “We will actively respond to ensure that worsening transportation conditions caused by the prolonged Middle East situation do not lead to disruptions in corporate operations,” adding, “We will do our utmost to create industrial complexes where people want to work by guaranteeing customized mobility rights that workers can genuinely experience.”