People with disabilities, pregnant women, and other mobility-impaired individuals in Seoul who have struggled to use self-service gas stations will soon be able to receive refueling assistance more easily.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 15th that it will add 50 gas stations to its "Refueling Service for the Mobility-Impaired" starting on the 16th, with plans to add another 50 next month. The service, which began with 46 stations when it was piloted in March this year, will grow to a total of 146 once the expansion is complete—more than a threefold increase from the initial figure.
The Refueling Service for the Mobility-Impaired is a program designed to support users such as people with disabilities and pregnant women who find it difficult to get out of their vehicles or operate fuel dispensers. Users can scan a QR code attached at participating stations with their mobile phones to be connected by phone with a staff member and receive refueling assistance.
The service began when the Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Petroleum Association, the Korea Oil Station Association, and refiners including SK Energy, GS Caltex, S-OIL, and HD Hyundai Oilbank. Until now, it has been piloted at 46 refiner-operated self-service stations.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 275 (70.5%) of the city's 390 gas stations were self-service as of June this year, making self-service refueling effectively the standard. As a result, concerns have been raised that the difficulties faced by the mobility-impaired in refueling are structurally growing.
Once this expansion is complete, the mobility-impaired support service will be available at one in two self-service stations (53.1%) in Seoul. The locations of participating stations can be found on the "Smart Seoul Map" and on the Korea National Oil Corporation's "Opinet" website and application.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to review usage records and satisfaction levels together with the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority, and to continuously expand the service by encouraging non-participating stations to join.
"With the proportion of self-service stations exceeding 70%, resolving the refueling difficulties of the mobility-impaired is a task that can no longer be postponed," said Jung Soon-kyu, head of Seoul's Green Energy Division. "We will expand participating stations in stages to create an environment where anyone can refuel without inconvenience."
