• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.66-76
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• 2023

The government recently implemented policies to improve transportation for the disabled passengers. On the other hand, metropolitan public transport still lacks adequate services for these individuals. Many new cities lack urban rail lines and focus on high-floor buses for expansion. Wheelchair users can only access to double-decker low-floor seat express buses for intercity travel. This study examined the necessity and rationale for introducing low-floor seat buses by estimating the user's willingness to pay through a contingent valuation method. Two methods for eliciting the willingness to pay were adopted: open-ended and dichotomous choice questions. The binomial logit model was used to estimate the willingness to pay. The results indicated that the general public is willing to pay an additional 126.7 Korean won, while the disabled passengers are willing to pay an additional 117.5 Korean won. When translated into annual economic benefits, this amounts to approximately 35 billion Korean won.