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Linda868
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Korea
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 Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:00 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the link to the article T-J and the quote |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:21 am Post subject: |
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/11/116_125219.html
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Traffic chaos is expected today as bus operators strike to protest the National Assembly�s passage of a bill to include taxis in the list of mass public transport.
The Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed the bill Wednesday, despite strong opposition from bus companies as well as the government.
According to the bill, taxis will be categorized as public transportation and thus will be able to get compensation for losses and other benefits from central and local governments as buses and subway operators do.
Following the passage, the nationwide association of bus companies said their members will halt services for an indefinite period as it had threatened to do earlier.
�We are indignant at the Assembly�s pushing ahead with the bill, ignoring opposition from citizens, the government and bus operators in order to win votes from the taxi industry ahead of the presidential election in December,� a director of the association said.
According to the association, some 100,000 drivers of about 43,000 intra-city and inter-city buses will join the collective action, plus 20,000 drivers of 4,000 community buses. Operators and drivers of charter, express and tourist buses will not participate.
While a final approval of the bill is up to a plenary session of the Assembly on Thursday or Friday, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik asked parliament to put it on hold.
The government has opposed the bill because it requires more money. �As the issue involves confrontation between related parties, we need to collect various opinions and discuss it further,� Kim said.
The association claimed that taxis, if recognized as public transport, will get 2 trillion won in subsidies from central and local governments annually while they are already receiving benefits worth 760 billion won as fuel subsidies and tax credits.
�Bus companies may have to share their government subsidies with taxis. Or the government will raise public transportation fees to secure more money, and citizens� financial burden will get heavier,� the director said.
He said both the ruling and opposition parties are pushing ahead with the bill for election purposes, as the number of people engaged in taxi operations is some 300,000, more than double that of the bus industry.
As measures to cope with the bus service suspension, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said subway operation hours in the nation�s six major cities will be extended by one hour.
During morning and evening rush hours, the number of subways trains will also be increased.
The ministry will also have some 7,600 charter buses operate for major inter-city routes across the nation.
Officials of the central and local governments and affiliate organizations will be allowed to come to work at 10 a.m., an hour later than usual. Each elementary, middle and high schools are also permitted to set their own school hours.
In Seoul, the city government will have 400 shuttle buses operate between major subway stations and bus stops.
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:16 am Post subject: |
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Rather ironic that the Association of bus companies mentions the bill ignores opposition from citizens, and a possible increase of fares leading to increased burden to citizens, but yet seems to not care the slightest about how these citizens will get around during the strike, or the increase in their transportation budget, citizen opposition to the strike...etc.
Why cant these guys care half as much about protecting citizens all the other days of the year when they are rolling through red lights and crosswalks, swerving in and out of lanes, blocking traffic, speeding, bullying every other car on the road and the whole host of other things everyone with eyes knows bus as well as taxi drivers get away with? |
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waynehead
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Location: Jongno
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| Classifying taxis as public transportation is absurd, I completely support these unionized workers in their strike, and I'll be happy to walk to work tomorrow in recognition of that, despite the typical and derivative "they run red lights" comments that will no doubt continue to proliferate herein and elsewhere. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| I'd be tons happier if it was the taxis that were going on strike. |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:54 am Post subject: |
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I agree the taxi issue is absurd (I am as much against taxi drivers as I am bus drivers), but I cannot get behind a strike that displaces millions of people not involved in the fight, didn't vote on the legislation, and otherwise have nothing to do with the issue. Seems to me they could find an alternative way to fight the issue, after all this hasn't been a months long dispute in need of this level of extreme action.
You or I may be able to walk, drive, or hitch the subway to work, but thousands of rural people who live nowhere near the city who rely on village buses to get around will suffer, along with the millions of others across the country who will be burdened (something the association is supposedly in opposition of) |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:42 am Post subject: |
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| Will this in any way, shape, or form bring back Twinkies and Drake's? |
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waynehead
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Location: Jongno
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Buses are running this morning, at least in Sungbuk/Jongno, in Seoul. |
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thebearofbundang
Joined: 02 Sep 2012
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Business as usual today.. Morning news said there will be no strike.. |
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alongway
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| but I cannot get behind a strike that displaces millions of people not involved in the fight, didn't vote on the legislation, and otherwise have nothing to do with the issue |
Those millions of people could contact their representatives and pressure them on the issue. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:36 am Post subject: |
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So wednesday afternoon when the news was full of the virtual certainty of a strike, I brought up my commuting concerns to my co-teacher. She suggested I just wait & see, & she was right.
As westerners, we're raised to think contingency planning is natural & prudent. Koreans (& maybe other Asians?) are not. They just tackle a problem if & when it actually arises.
A Korean supervisor once explained it to me like this: Why waste energy planning for something that may not happen? |
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newb
Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:38 am Post subject: |
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| ^^ perhaps this is why Korea has very high suicide rate. |
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Dodge7
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| buses are running tomorrow, wife saw it on the news. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Perhaps this is the real issue. |
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actionjackson
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
Location: Any place I'm at
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| Perhaps this is the real issue. |
This was the exact thing me and my girlfriend were talking about the other night while watching the news about the bus strike. |
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