Seoul City's bike-sharing service becomes safer with soaring demand

A person rides a bike from Ttareungyi, Seoul City's bike-sharing service, in this Nov. 20, 2020, photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

By Bahk Eun-ji

Seoul City has introduced a set of safety and maintenance measures, along with new services for users of its public bike-sharing service, Ttareungyi.

The city's app-based bike-sharing service has emerged as a popular means of personal transport amid the coronavirus pandemic, as people are avoiding crowded public transportation such as trains and buses. The number of Ttareungyi users in 2020 rose by 24 percent from the previous year to reach 2.78 million.

The city government said the new measures are aimed at preventing possible breakdowns and accidents, as the number of bike rentals also stood at 23.7 million, up 14 percent from the previous year.

More reflective tape and reflectors will be attached to the bikes so that drivers and pedestrians can see the bikes more easily at night. About 3,000 bikes, which will be newly introduced this year or require the replacement of old tires, will be subject to this measure first.

The plan reflected a number of citizens' opinions that it would be more convenient and safer if the Ttareungyi bikes were more visible at nighttime, as 38 percent of the bike use took place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. last year.

A chain tensioner and chain guard will be installed on 400 bikes for test operations, in order to prevent separation of the bicycle chain from the wheel, which could lead to accidents.

More lighting will also be installed by October at 254 rental stations located in dark places without enough streetlamps.

On the left is a regular-sized Ttareungyi bike, and on the right is a smaller version for people shorter than 160 centimeters / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

A smaller version of the Ttareungyi bike will also be prepared for people shorter than 160 centimeters. This smaller version will be available for children aged as young as 13, who can register for the service with their parents' approval, while the regular Ttareungyi is available for people aged 14 and over. For 13-year-olds, they will be able to use the service after watching a 30-second safety guide video on the app.

The city government has also updated the app for the service recently. It has diversified login and payment methods to shorten the time needed for the process. It also added Chinese and Japanese to the previous language choices of Korean or English.

It will also open a maintenance center in the southeastern part of the city this year in addition to the six centers currently in operation. Simple maintenance such as tire pressure adjustments will be able to be made quickly at the rental stations.

Bikes from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's bike-sharing service, Ttareungyi, are parked at a rental station in Seoul in this undated photo. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

“As Ttareungyi has become an essential means of living and transportation for citizens, the importance of strengthening safety has been further highlighted,” said Cho Sung-il, chairman of the Seoul Facilities Corp., the operator of the service.

Cho said that the corporation is continuing to seek out improvements by collecting opinions from various experts with the aim of improving safety for users at night as well as reducing accidents.

“We will continue to do our best to examine whether there are any inconveniences from the perspective of the riders who are using the service,” he said.