SOCAR said on the 27th that it partnered with Ulsan City and the Ulsan Infrastructure Corporation to set up a car-sharing-only zone at the Sinbok Transfer Center, a core transportation hub in Ulsan.
The zone, created by using the idle space under the overpass in front of the Sinbok Transfer Center, will be operated exclusively by SOCAR for three years. This is the first time that an idle space has been turned into a car-sharing-only zone in cooperation with a local government.
Based on a one-month pilot that began on Sept. 9, the Sinbok Transfer Center SOCAR Zone saw high short-term use for business trips and travel. The average lending time was 14 hours, with a marked pattern of morning lending and evening return, and more than 90% were round trips in which vehicles were lent and returned at the same location.
Many users visited the SOCAR Zone via buses to and from the Sinbok Transfer Center, then used vehicles to move to major transport hubs such as Ulsan Airport and the KTX station, business destinations such as Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant and the Onsan National Industrial Complex, and tourist sites such as Daewangam Park and Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Village.
SOCAR is operating 10 models to accommodate various travel purposes, including ▲ GV70 ▲ Mercedes-Benz E200 ▲ Santa Fe ▲ Seltos ▲ Avante.
Ko Chung-yun, head of SOCAR's South Gyeongsang regional business team, said, "The Sinbok Transfer Center is a key transportation hub whose utility will grow with future tram and metro introduction," adding, "SOCAR will enhance mobility services linked to the regional transport network so citizens can travel conveniently anytime, anywhere."