State looks to Seoul to improve public transportation

KUCHING: State Transport Ministry officers were in Seoul recently to explore its innovative transit systems with a view to enhance local public transportation.

The delegation led by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin was in South Korea from July 29 to Aug 2 to study Seoul’s public land transport systems, focusing on their bus and urban traffic management practices, to use as a benchmark for transforming and expanding Sarawak’s public transportation system.

“The delegation visited several key stakeholders, including Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS), Jungnang Public Bus Depot, T-Money, LG Consulting, Network and System (CNS) Science Park, and Hyundai Motorstudio,” it said in a statement.

At Seoul TOPIS, the team was briefed on Seoul TOPIS operations in assisting the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) with public transportation management, urban traffic planning, and disaster and emergency management.

“Lee met with the director of transportation policy at SMG, Lee Jingu, to discuss urban mobility, public bus information and tracking systems, public transport facilities financing models, and public transport subsidy models,” it said.

It added that they also visited one of Seoul’s largest depots, Jungnang Public Bus Depot, where they learned about the depot’s operations and management.

They also explored the transition from Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to Electric Vehicle (EV) and Hydrogen buses, aligning with South Korea’s policy of using green and renewable energy in public transportation to reduce carbon emissions.

To further understand Seoul’s public land transport system, the delegation toured the T-Money headquarters, gaining insights into Seoul’s advanced transportation card system.

“The visit provided a comprehensive overview of Seoul’s advanced transportation card system, which integrates cutting-edge technology to enhance urban mobility and streamline transit services.

“The insights on best practices from Seoul’s integration of smart mobility and smart transportation payment is instrumental in enhancing our very own transportation infrastructure,” it said.

In addition, Lee and delegation also paid a visit to LG Science Park and Hyundai Motor Goyang Studio to get an insight into the latest innovation on transportation including hydrogen vehicles and autonomous vehicles

“This visit is a follow-up to the South Korean airport management team’s courtesy call on July 25 and the delegation visited the Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) at Incheon International Airport on Aug 2 before departing for Kuala Lumpur,” it said.

It added that the visit was aimed to understand the management, roles and functions of the IOC at Incheon Airport.

At the same time, Lee also made a courtesy visit to the Ambassador of Malaysia to the Republic of Korea, Datuk Mohd Zamruni Khalid and had a meeting with Deputy Minister for Transport and Logistics, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), JungHee Uhm.

“They were briefed on the Korean government’s policies on managing public land transportation, urban mobility, logistics, and sustainable transportation,” the statement added.

The Sarawak delegation included Deputy Minister of Transport (Aviation and Road), Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Sarawak Datuk Wong Hee Sieng, Head of Land Transport and Logistics Division, Chong Chi Fam and other officers from the Ministry.