Cheonan Campus Dankookians (Students of Dankook University) are currently having trouble getting to school. Before COVID-19, there used to be school buses for students who do not live in Cheonan City. However, this regular bus operation has not resumed due to a lack of demand and frequent breakdowns in negotiations with the bus company. This is resulting in distress for long-distance commuters. On top of that, the school’s shuttle bus is being criticized by its users due to a shortage of available buses and frequent delays.

▲ Students Waiting in Line for the Bus (Photo from The Dankook Herald)

   As face-to-face class fully resumed in the second semester, Cheonan Campus Dankookians commuting from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province faced transportation hardships due to the lack of scheduled school buses. As an alternative, students must take an intercity bus or train from their arrival point, which is quite far from the school and too expensive. Moreover, transportation in Cheonan has several drawbacks such as inaccurate bus times, long delays, and a bus shortage. In August, 'Bit-Dam' the Cheonan Campus Student Council surveyed students who come to school from other provinces, about the school bus operation. Upon completion of the survey, they announced that due to insufficient demand from users, bus companies were not interested in taking on the contract. This response was unexpected. Fortunately, one bus company said it would take up operations in 2023 if enough seasonal passes were purchased in advance using a mobile application. Hoseo University, which is also located in Cheonan, is carrying out a similar school bus system by using its own mobile application. They have 7 school bus routes going to campus and 5 routes for their way back home. If Dankook University (DKU) follows suit, they may resume the school bus system by 2023.

   Cheonan Campus also has a shuttle bus that is available for students traveling to school from within the city. First, a total of 6 buses departing from Dujeong Station run at 10 or 20-minute intervals from 8:30 AM until 10 o’clock, and two buses bound for Dujeong Station run at 17:00 and 17:10. Second, two buses departing from Cheonan Station run at 8:40 AM and 9 AM. Third, the buses bound for Cheonan Central Terminal have the same running time as the route to Dujeong Station. The operation times and ranges are limited and fail to consider the timetables of students which leads to the limited practical use of the bus. Because of these inconveniences, Dankookians are seeking out additional buses running at one-hour intervals, if intervals by minutes are not possible. They also expressed disappointment with the lack of support for students living near Cheonan Station as compared to those living nearby Dujeong Station, where more shuttle buses are offered. Students who are left dissatisfied with the shuttle bus operation have no choice but to use town Bus 11, the only city bus that stops at Dankook University. However, students are inconvenienced again by the operation of this bus. At the beginning of morning lectures or at the end of the afternoon lectures, the most popular travel times, the long lines of students waiting for the bus are often disorderly and overcrowded at the bus stop. The main issue with Bus 11 is that its reduced operation schedule during the vacation period has not been restored since the start of this semester, which makes the rotation less smooth. Dankookians hope that the school will make requests to the bus company that they increase the operation frequency of Bus 11.

▲ Town Bus 11 before Arriving at Dankook University Bus Stop (Photo from The Dankook Herald)

   The Dankook Herald (DKH) interviewed Dankookians with commuting difficulties to find out more about their problems. Jo Yun-sik, a freshman in the Dept. of English, comes to school from within Cheonan, but it still takes him about an hour by subway and bus. He agrees that there are not enough number 11 buses as there were multiple times when he was denied boarding because it was already full of people. He also takes the morning shuttle bus more than three times a week, and continuously felt that its operation time did not line up with most students’ timetables. He hopes there will be more buses to school and wants it to be on time. Lee Jun-seong, a freshman in the Dept. of Global Korean, said that it took him about three hours to come to school from Gangseo-gu, Seoul last semester. He said he spent at least 110,000 won (about 80 dollars) per month on transportation, but the biggest problem was that he had less sleep time. He also mentioned the importance of making school buses available to as many students as possible, by meeting regional demand and promoting detailed route information. He used both morning and afternoon shuttle buses almost every day. However, he said it leaves a lot to be desired that the shuttle bus route between Cheonan station and the school operates differently depending on the direction it is traveling. He said that it would be nice to reorganize the routes and to unify them regardless of departure time. The DKH also interviewed the DKU’s Student Affairs Team to understand the school's stand on the problem. “The main reason for the weakening of the school bus system is the loss of interest in providing the service from bus companies due to the decrease in riders,” they said. The school bus is operated based on bus fees from the students, the companies are selected through a bidding process, and external factors that affect its prices such as international oil prices, labor costs, and vehicle insurance impacted their decision to not compete for the contracts. While all the other prices are rising, bus fees cannot be easily increased when considering student welfare. Due to the very nature of university lecture schedules, increased irregular school commuting led to a burden on the previous company, and eventually, the operation was suspended. Moreover, the price competition with express and intercity buses that offer student discounts is almost impossible to compete with, so the demand is low. The team tried to recruit new companies, but all those approached expressed disinterest under current conditions.

   However, the team replied that the number of shuttle buses can be flexibly adjusted according to the student boarding situation for the convenience of riders. They promised that if bus operation time changes, the team will notify riders in advance on DKU's website. They also added that the shuttle bus time has recently been adjusted and the number of buses has increased to reduce the inconvenience being experienced by Dankookians. Lastly, town Bus 11 is public transportation, so complaints like the demand for its increase will be filed against the Cheonan town bus company. At this point, Dankookians, students of Bugil High School, other citizens and nearby schools are also hoping to see improvements in this service. In the end, the Student Affairs Team said, "We are constantly looking for new bus companies that will improve student welfare, and for the re-operation of school buses. We are looking into ways for bus companies to avoid losses by implementing seasonal ticket systems and fare hikes if necessary."

   Since the start of the second semester, many students were inconvenienced by their commute to and from the Cheonan campus due to the poor transportation options available. Considering that students have faced this inconvenience for a long time, a compromise with the school and bus companies is crucial. The DKH is hoping to see that the current commuting problems will be resolved as soon as possible.