The provincial government released plans in September to reduce the number of rental cars on island roads. The plans hinge on voluntary participation by car rental companies, and that has so far been hard to come by. Mike Laidman reports.

This is a local rental car agency; one of the few which recently made the tough decision to join the province’s efforts to reduce the number of rental cars.

Participation is purely on a voluntary basis, with no subsidies or benefits offered by the province.

However, this particular agency has agreed that some adjustments are needed to the number of rental cars on the island.

INTERVIEW
Kim Jae-rin / Local rental car agent
We hope that the province’s rental car policies will help balance supply and demand.
인터뷰)김재린 00렌터카 대표이사
저희 업체 입장에서는 총량제가 잘 시행돼서 업체와 제주도의 교통정책에 맞는 이런 부분들이 원활하게 잘 됐으면 하는 바람에…

The provincial office has been receiving applications for voluntary participation in the car reduction program, following the rental car quota system which was put in place in September.

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53 agencies submit plans to phase out 1,500 cars

53 local agencies have submitted their plans to phase out 1,500 cars.

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Planned reduction is only 20% of target

This means that 42 percent of the island’s total of 120 rental car agencies are planning to cut 1,500 combined cars from their fleets - 20 percent of the 7,000-car goal set by the province.

The reduction efforts are mainly being driven by small and mid-sized companies.
###CG IN ###

Among the 53 agencies that have pledged to join in the car reduction policy, 36 of them - 70 percent - are small companies with between 101 and 200 cars.

None of the rental agencies that run more than 700 cars have applied to participate.
### CG OUT ###

Of note, the two biggest rental car companies on the island, running more than 2,000 vehicles apiece and accounting for between 7 and 8 percent of the total number of rental cars, have made no motion of interest in the program.

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2 largest companies show no interest in program

To meet Jeju’s ambitious rental car reduction goal, these two leading agencies would have to cut at least 1,000 cars between them.

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Province considers action against non-participating firms

The province is considering issuing a driving restriction order to companies that fail to submit their plans to cut their number of cars by the end of the year.

INTERVIEW
Ahn Woo-jin / Director, Provincial traffic policy division
We’re reviewing measures, including driving restrictions, for agencies that don’t join, in order to make up for the voluntary losses of those that are cooperating.
인터뷰)안우진 제주특별자치도 교통정책과장
도민의 교통체증 해소를 위해 적극 협력한 감차업체의 선의의 손실을 보전하기 위해서는 감차를 안 한 업체에 대해서는 행정에서 할 수 있는 예를 들어 차량운행 제한이라던가…

The car reduction effort is a part of the rental car limit system, itself based upon the recently revised Jeju Special Act.

[Reporter] Mike Laidman
[Camera] Park Byeong-joon

However, at the moment, the chances of success are looking slim, and it’s going to take a concerted effort by the biggest players on Jeju to see real change.

Mike Laidman, KCTV