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Degradation of bus service, reduced demand and chronic deficits were the inevitable result of private operating systems. The tendency of bus companies to prioritize profits over passenger convenience has also accelerated public dissatisfaction and abandonment of bus services. The Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced a semi-public operating system to enhance the public interest of bus services while maintaining the participation of the private sector.



As recently as the early 2000s, bus companies in Seoul, which have been thriving for profit, have argued that they should provide bus services along a number of inefficient routes, including unnecessarily long and complex routes. This practice has only favored some users who live or work near established bus routes, resulting in the deterioration of bus service over time. The frequent turns of bus routes have made travel times too long and added to traffic jams. Thinking that the bus route was too long and inconvenient, passengers in Seoul began to avoid the bus.



Redundancy of bus routes may have provided greater convenience to some passengers, but excessive transportation services in restricted areas ultimately alienate other areas from the benefits of public transportation, undermine the management capabilities of operating companies, and reduce the effectiveness of services.



As demand for buses continues to decrease due to excessively long bus routes, competition from subways, and lack of efforts to improve service quality, and difficulties for bus operators have increased, Seoul considered introducing a semi-public operating system.

replace the individual. Accordingly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government analyzed the pros and cons of public, private, and semi-public bus operating systems in domestic and overseas countries, and established the semi-public operating system as the most suitable model for Seoul. However, in order to introduce such a system, the Seoul Metropolitan Government needed a channel for continuous communication with the private sector. Accordingly, the Citizens' Committee on Bus Reform (CCBR) was formed to coordinate necessary public-private communications and to handle bus reform-related tasks.