One year of the Han River Bus, strong weekend tourism demand... commuting use remains a challenge

As the Hangang Bus marks one year since its first voyage, usage has been particularly strong on weekends and in the afternoon. Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government set a goal of expanding commuter demand, usage at present is more clearly centered on tourism and leisure outings. According to boarding data, from March through August, there were 455,483 Hangang Bus passengers, and the average number of passengers per day on weekends was more than twice that of weekdays. In particular, many passengers concentrated at piers close to Hangang Park, such as Yeouido, Jamsil, and Ttukseom. By contrast, the share at Oksu Pier, which is near a subway station, was lower than expected. The Hangang Bus, a means of transportation directly connecting downtown Seoul and the Han River waterfront, showed travel times on some routes that were faster than or comparable to the subway. However, because there are currently only 12 vessels, the service intervals are long, and operations during commute hours are also limited. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to increase the number of vessels in the future to shorten service intervals and improve profitability through development around the piers and ancillary revenue.