Long-distance intercity and express bus routes are also supported by remote routes.

In line with the trend of expanding neighboring metropolitan and provincial governments to one living area, intercity buses that operate only within the same province as well as intercity buses that operate between other cities and provinces will be able to support remote routes in the future.

In this regard, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will revise its operating guidelines to support intercity and express bus routes connecting various cities and provinces as a "wall map route support project" and implement it from tomorrow (15th).

As a result, bus routes related to convenience facilities such as schools and childcare facilities, as well as routes for the use of essential and cultural facilities such as large hospitals, concert halls, and museums, will be supported.

In addition, support for express bus routes will be allowed in the future in consideration of the need to guarantee long-distance travel rights for residents in remote areas.

At the same time, each local government will remove the criteria for providing up to 10% of the budget for the "wall map route support project" so that local governments can autonomously set the support rate for each bus industry according to local conditions.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that it is aimed at responding to the acceleration of local extinction due to inter-regional disconnection and guaranteeing the right of long-distance movement of residents in underdeveloped areas.

The remote area route support project was introduced in 2020 to guarantee the right to move residents in underprivileged areas by providing 30% of state funds and 70% of local expenses to compensate for losses for transportation companies due to the operation of remote bus routes.

However, there was a limit to supporting long-distance travel as only short-distance bus routes operated within a single metropolitan area, such as downtown and rural buses, were available, and it was difficult to reflect the specificity of local conditions.