Commute transport of employees of Sinseo Innovation City (Medical R&D Zone, Medivalley) and Suseong Alpha City expected to improve accessibility and connections to public transportation
To improve accessibility to public transportation-alienated areas and fortify connections to public transportation, Daegu Metropolitan City (DMC) will be expanding DRT*, which has been offered since October 2023 on a trial basis in Dong-gu’s Medical R&D Zone, to Medivalley and Suseong Alpha City from August 16 (Fri).
* Demand Responsive Transport (DRT): Passenger transport service that operates flexibly, without a fixed route, based on passengers’ needs
The Medical R&D Zone (68 companies, 2,260 employees (total)) and Medivalley (100 companies, 5,360 employees (total)), both of which are inside Sinseo Innovation City, house 168 companies and 7,620 employees, while Suseong Alpha City currently houses 243 companies and 4,525 employees. All experienced significant discomfort/overcrowding of public transportation at commute times due to being located far away from subway stations and a lack of city bus routes.
DMC began a trial operation of DRT in October 2023 to alleviate public transportation crowding in Medical R&D Zone. There are currently four large (45-seater) buses being operated over two routes to and from Medical R&D Zone (one to Yulha Station (Daegu Metro Line 1) and another to Yeonho Station (Daegu Metro Line 2). As of June 30, 2024, the buses have been taken by 54,715 people (monthly avg.: 6,079).
※ User statistics: October 4, 2023 ~ June 30, 2024 (nine months)/ weekday operation only (not available on weekends or public holidays)
※ Medical R&D Zone ↔ Yulha Station, Yeonho Station
From August 16 (Fri), the same service will be available in Sinseo Innovation City through 11 buses: five for Medivalley (two 45-seaters, one 25-seater, two 16-seaters (or smaller)), two for Suseong Alpha City (both 16-seater or smaller), and four for the Medical R&D Zone.
The five buses for Medivalley will cover three routes: two linking Ansim Station to Medivalley and the new location for Daegu Haany University’s College of Korean Medicine, respectively, and one linking Yeonho Station to Medivalley. Plans are underway to merge these routes with those of Medical R&D Zone for flexible dispatching of vehicles based on user demand.
※ Ansim Station ↔ Medivalley, Daegu Haany University (College of Korean Medicine) / Yeonho Station ↔ Medivalley
The two buses (16-seater) for Suseong Alpha City will cover one route linking Suseong Alpha City and Daegu Grand Park Station (Daegu Metro Line 2).
※ Daegu Grand Park Station ↔ Suseong Alpha City
During peak commute hours, as with Medical R&D Zone, all buses will travel fixed routes at intervals of 5~10 minutes. During non-commute hours, however, passengers can reserve buses through a mobile reservation app. The dispatch of buses on a real-time need basis is expected to drastically reduce wait time as well as travel time, as buses will have leeway during non-commute hours to bring passengers to their destination by the shortest possible route.
The fee for all buses is the same as for intra-city buses (KRW 1,500 per adult) and can only be paid via public transportation card (cash payments not accepted). Transfers can be made to intra-city buses or Daegu Metro free of charge.
An opening ceremony was held on August 14 (Wed) at 3 pm at the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation to celebrate expanded DRT operation. The ceremony was attended by National Assemblyman Kang Dae-sik, members of Daegu City Council, the president of Daegu Metro, DMC’s head of transportation, and employees of Medivalley and Suseong Alpha City and comprised of a presentation on the expanded DRT, tape cutting, and photo-taking.
Heo Jun-seok, the head of DMC’s Transportation Division, said, “Expanded DRT operation is expected to alleviate the difficulties experienced in relation to public transportation in both Sinseo Innovation City and Suseong Alpha City. We will be further expanding DRT next year as part of our efforts to reduce the number of areas that are public transportation-alienated.”
