Busan holds opening ceremony for DRT bus “Tabara”
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□ The city of Busan held the opening ceremony for the Busan-specific DRT (Demand Responsive Transit) bus “Tabara” at Osiria Station on the Donghae Line, Gijang-gun, at 10a.m. on Sept. 1.
□ DRT, referring to Demand Responsive Transit, is a transport system operated on no fixed timetable and route. It transports passengers flexibly by creating optimal real-time routes based on passenger requests.
○ The DRT, like a taxi, conveniently transports passengers to the bus stop closest to their destination from the location of users who place calls for the DRT through the app. It is a passenger transport service suitable for tourist attractions or farming and fishing villages with low demand for public transportation.
○ The service is highly preferred both by users and transportation operators because the users need to only pay a bus fare for the service that is quicker than a regular bus, while operators only work when calls come in, saving on fuel and other costs.
□ Busan’s adoption of the DRT is one of 12 projects in three areas as part of the “Busan-specific public transportation innovation plan” announced by Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon last March. The city was chosen as the final winner for the local tourism traffic improvement contest project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in February of this year. Following the evaluation committee’s assessment and selection of business operators, the Busan-specific DRT bus service “Tabara” was unveiled.
* Tabara: phonetic representation of Busan dialect “tabara (meaning go get it)”
□ Tabara will enter a year-long pilot program in Gijang-gun where many tourist attractions are under construction.
○ Tabara will run to and from 15 designated stops, including Gijang-gun’s hub areas, such as Osiria Station and Gijang Station, and main tourist attractions, such as the Osiria Tourism Complex, Orangdae Park and Gongsu Village, offering a special tourism experience combined with information and communication technology (ICT).
○ In late September, the city will launch the app service exclusively for foreign tourists to provide various tourism and festival related information and DRT service for overseas visitors to Gijang-gun. The city also plans to increase its competitiveness by combining the service with foreign-tourist-related products, including the Visit Busan Pass.
□ The city expects that the implementation of this project will not only resolve the issue of insufficient public transportation in the Osiria area in Gijang, which lacks intra-city buses, but also be of great help for relieving nearby tourist areas’ chronic traffic congestion and lack of parking.
Tabara, the bus that comes when called via the app.
Operating hours: 08:00-22:00
Operating areas: Tourist attractions in Gijang
Transportation card only
Main Tel.: 1811-2159
How to use: Install the app. (QR code in the promotional material) – login – key in your destination and call the bus
Tabara bus stops: Gongsu Village, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Ananti Cove, Orangdae, Yeonhwa-ri, Daebyeon Port, Haeundae Beach Golf & Resort, Gijang Station on the Donghae Line, Gijang Market, Osiria Station on the Donghae Line, Lotte World, Lotte Outlet, East Busan Tourism Complex, Skyline Luge Busan
