NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF KOREA Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – July 2022 Article 9 Accessibility 9-1 Accessibility of persons with disabilities in transportation □ Current status and problems ㅇ With the enactment of the Act on the Mobility Disadvantaged in 2005, low-floor buses began to be introduced. However, the adoption rate of low-floor buses remains at 30.4%(10,382 buses) even when the 3rd Plan on the Transportation Convenience Promotion for the Mobility Disadvantaged Persons based on the act is coming to an end(As of September 2021). This figure is lower than the target of 31.5% of the 1st Plan(2007-2011). ㅇ The revised Act on the Mobility Disadvantaged(2022.1.18.) stipulates the mandatory introduction of low-floor buses when replacing outdated city or village buses. However, inter-city buses, express buses, and wide-area buses have been excluded from the amendment.5 In addition, a recent ruling of the Supreme court that grants indulgence to the government and bus companies in a discrimination remedy lawsuit to guarantee the right to move out of town for persons with disabilities drew criticism from the disability community.6 ㅇ It is also problematic that with regards to use of bus by persons with visual and hearing disabilities, provision of information including bus number and route as well as on-board guidance is insufficient. ㅇ As the local government is responsible for the introduction of special transportation services, the regional disparity is wide, and this has to be addressed. There are regions that operate more than 1 unit of special transportation for every 150 persons with severe disabilities, but in Incheon and Chungbuk, the adoption rate of special transportation service is low at around 50%. In addition, the inter-regional movement of special transportation is limited. Accordingly, national funding has to be provided for the operation of special transportation services in addition to expenses for the establishment of a movement support center. The revised Act on Transportation Disadvantaged 15