The two-year pilot operation of Innopolis Daedeok Route 1, which began on August 24, 2021, is set to end in July. The Innopolis Daedeok Route 1, a bus that started operating for the convenience of KAIST members’ transportation around Daejeon, departs from the North Gate of KAIST, stops at popular spots near the campus such as the EXPO Art Hall, Chungnam National University and, Yuseong Spa Station, and arrives back to the North Gate of the campus. The buses run a total of 24 times a day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at intervals of 40 minutes.
From February 28 to March 2, the 34th Undergraduate Association (UA) and the 51st Graduate Student Association (GSA) of KAIST surveyed KAIST undergraduate and graduate students regarding their thoughts on the suspension of the route. Out of 1,621 respondents, 1,568 (97%) were against the discontinuation of the bus service. The main comments were that the bus is the only method of public transportation that enters and exits the campus; terminating its service would lead to difficulties for students who need to travel outside the campus. 50 (3%) participants agreed with the termination of the bus service, arguing that the bus interval is too long and that the bus route is inefficient.
Regarding the purpose of using the route, 1,722 students (48%) answered that they use it to access nearby facilities, 687 (42%) use it for daily commutes, and 162 (10%) cited other reasons. Some suggestions from the survey included the need to consider changing the route to other locations that are in higher demand by students. Additionally, respondents indicated the necessity of a two-way service. Many students agreed that reducing the waiting time between buses would lead to an increase in the number of users.
On March 16, the UA and GSA arranged a meeting with Seok-Bong Lee, the Deputy Mayor of Daejeon Economic Science, regarding the strong demand on the extension of Innopolis Daedeok Route 1 Bus Operation and students’ concerns that its discontinuation will constrain their commute and travels outside the campus. The decision from the city officials is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.