Innovation 24

The “Firsts” and “Bests” of Government Innovation

The Korean Government will accredit the “Firsts” of our innovations that contributed to the public’s comfort and safety, and select the “Best” cases of government innovation to spread as examples to our many institutions.

The Best

Public Bikes

City of Seoul
Introduced in Nov 2010

Ddareungi is an unmanned rental service for public bikes that has been operated by the City of Seoul since 2010. It began as a solution to Seoul’s traffic congestion and soaring oil prices, and an attempt to enhance the public’s quality of life.

In 2023 alone, bike usage counts hit 4.49 million, with daily averages reaching 120,000 uses. proving Ddareungi as a means of travel adored by Seoul’s citizens.

Content

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Ddareungi ⓒ Seoul Facilities Corporation

√ Overview

√ Introduction

√ Results

√ Development

■ The Charm of Ddareungi, making Seoul City healthier

If asked about what has visibly changed in the city of Seoul, many would mention Ddareungi. Ddareungi is an unmanned bike rental service operated by Seoul City. A green means of transport that is connected with the public transportation system, it was first implemented to relieve traffic congestion in Seoul and solve air pollution, while contributing to the health of Seoul Citizens.

Ddareungi’s largest advantage lies with its absence of personal maintenance needs and convenience in returning after use. Individuals can simply visit a nearby rental station, use a bike, and return it to a rental station close to their destination, leading to continued interest from not only commuters but also students and the general public. The usage fee, as of June 2024, is a relatively low 1000 won per hour, allowing usage without much pressure on your budget.

Ddareungi as a green means of transportation has rental stations installed in the vicinity of population-focused subway stations, bus stations, schools, and government facilities. Bikes stand as the best means of convenient transport for distances not fit for public transport, or when you are burdened with luggage.

Ddareungi is rather simple to use. Download the Ddareungi app in your mobile app store, and register to gain access to available bike counts, rental station locations, and payments. With Ddareungi video manuals available for all ages, anyone can easily use bikes, from installing the app to returning after use.

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Ddareungi User Tutorial ⓒ Ddareungi, the Seoul Bike

■ Ride Freely, Ride Fun, in Seoul, a “City for Fun Bike rides”.

Starting services in November 2010, Ddareungi, Seoul’s public bike service, is a means of public transport rightfully nicknamed “the Citizens’ Legs”. Seoul’s public bike rental system adopted the model of the “BIXI (BIcycle + taXI)” public bike system of Montreal, Canada, and “V?lib” public bike system of Paris, France, to begin its pilot project, and has continued development to this day.

With rising user volumes, Ddareungi has annual accumulative use counts of over 40 million! Seoul City continues to upgrade the specifications of Ddareungi. As part of these efforts, beginning in 2020, Ddareungi units with stronger, reinforced frames were introduced, while 5,000 smaller units called “Saessak (Sprouter) Ddareungi”, designed for individuals with smaller builds such as adolescents and the elderly, were also introduced.

New Ddareungi and Saessak Ddareungi ⓒ Ddareungi Website

Furthermore, by accepting installation proposals from citizens who have been inconvenienced by faraway rental stations, Seoul has opted to install stations where the public need bikes the most. Individuals are also rewarded cash-like milage benefits if they return bikes to rental stations that lack bike units during commuting hours. Seoul continues efforts to allow the public to conveniently utilize Ddareungi.

Website for Ddareungi, Seoul’s public Bike.

■ Looking for Fixers. More Ddareungi Units, More Work for Small Businesses.

People riding Ddareungi are a common sight at riversides and parks on the weekend. Korea has a different name for public bikes for each region in the nation. Seoul has “Ddareungi”, Daejeon has “Tashu”, Sejong has “Eoulling”, Changwon has “Nubija”, Yeosu has “Yeosurang”, and Suncheon has “Onnuri”. Of course, Seoul has the highest number of bike units, rental stations, and usage volume.

Bike and rental station count for Seoul’s Ddareungi have increased each year, reaching 45,000 units and 2,762 stations in 2023. Ride volume has also increased each year, more than doubling from over 1,907,000 cases in 2019 to 4,490,000 cases in 2023.

With rising interest from the Seoul public as a means of transportation, Ddareungi has also experienced an increase in maintenance demands. Last year alone, over 240,000 cases of maintenance were performed. In response to the growing need of maintenance for Ddareungi, and also to revive small businesses, the Seoul Facilities Corporation has recruited additional “Ddareungi shops” (Ddareungi + Neighborhood stores/shops).

“Ddareungi shops”, private bicycle shops supporting Ddareungi repair work, have been operated since 2019. Last year, as part of Seoul’s “Together Policy with the Socioeconomically Disadvantaged”, two regional self-sufficiency promotion centers were added as Ddareungi repair spots. This year, Seoul plans to continue to provide safe and convenient services to users of Ddareungi, by forming “maintenance cooperation work agreements” with regional self-sufficiency promotion centers and rapidly meeting maintenance demands.

■ Ride Green with Ddareungi, for Discounts and Donations

In an effort to boost usage of Ddareungi, a green means of transport, and enhance accessibility for citizens, Seoul City connected Ddareungi service with TmoneyGO. Individuals transferring from public transportation to Ddareungi are now provided with cash-like rewards. Recently, with the introduction of the “Climate Card”, a monthly subscription product for infinite rides inside the city and on Ddareungi, the number of accumulative users has increased further.