As Yeonsu-gu is nearing the end of the extended operation of Cookie Bikes, a shared bicycle utilized by residents, the new shared bicycle 'Tajo Bikes' will be pilot-operated from next month in order to eliminate the gap in the use of bicycles for residents.
Starting in November, it will be strategically placed in areas with high demand, such as subway stations, to provide full-fledged services after a free trial service based on the basic fee of 20 minutes for four weeks from October
The total number of units is 1,500, which is 500 more than the existing 1,000 Cookie Bikes of Samchully Co., Ltd., and by next year, the plan is to increase the number of bicycles to 2,000 to encourage residents to use shared bicycles as a means of short-distance transportation.
As with the existing Cookie bikes, it can be used after installing the app (name of app: Tajo) on a smartphone. It is a system of searching for the location of a nearby bicycle through a location-based service and paying the fee (credit card) after using it.
The fee is KRW 500 for the first 20 minutes without a deposit and KRW 200 for every 10 minutes thereafter, and for residents who use it frequently, a commuter pass service that allows residents to use the first 20 minutes for KRW 10,000 for 30 days without limiting the number of times when registering for a commuter pass (30-day pass) will be operated.
However, the 30-day pass is free for the first 20 minutes and KRW 200 is charged for every 10 minutes after the 20 minutes. Anyone can conveniently borrow and return the bicycles anytime, anywhere by using the 'Tajo App' location information.
For the operation of this system, in May Yeonsu-gu signed a ‘Business agreement to promote the use of bicycles that are closely related to life’ with Omni Systems, a private company that operates a shared bicycle service 'Tajo' with KT in Goyang and Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.
Yeonsu-gu, which has a 75.2km bicycle road and 105.8km road for both pedestrians and bicycles, has also signed an extension contract for the nation’s first shared e-bike ‘Kakao T Bike’ service until February 2023.
Accordingly, Yeonsu-gu will operate a total of 2,600 shared bicycles starting next year, including 600 existing Kakao T-bikes, electric shared bicycles and 2,000 Tajo bicycles, at subway stations and bus stops in the region.
Yeonsu-gu is in a position to adjust the number of operating vehicles in consideration of the trend of using personal means of transportation in the future as residents avoid using public transportation such as buses and subways due to the re-spread of COVID-19.
An official from Yeonsu-gu said, "The new shared bicycle ‘Tajo' will be established as a short-distance transportation method for residents as soon as possible, and we will do our best to make Yeonsu-gu an eco-friendly green city."
