In an effort to raise birthrate, the Pusan Metropolitan Government will install bus seats exclusively for pregnant women and put up special notices for them on subways starting next month.

The government will secure two or three seats for pregnant women among seven or eight seats designated for the elders and the disabled. Also Pusan city will add the sign ``pregnant women,’’ to the current notice ``for the elders and the disabled’’ in subways.

A city government official said that pregnant women are reluctant to sit on reserved seats for the old and the handicapped because there is no specification that the seat is also for them.

``Our plan doesn’t mean that Pusan citizens have not conceded their seats to pregnant women so far. Our purpose is to enlighten people that the low birthrate is a really serious problem, and encourage people to have babies,’’ said Kim Che-won, a city transportation department official.

Pusan city had the lowest birthrate among Korean cities for the last six years.

The city currently runs 2,613 buses on 168 routes, and operates 121 subway trains on three lines. The plan will cost some 10 million won, about 6 million won for buses and 4 million for subway.