By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Kim Kwang-ja, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, must visit a hospital five kilometers away from her home in Seoul for treatment at least twice a week.
Ordinarily, there are two options for getting there: subway or bus. Her choice is always the latter.
``It saves not only time but also money,'' said the 57-year-old former teacher. ``Since one of the lanes of the street leading toward the hospital was designated as bus-only, it takes only five to 10 minutes to get there by bus, which is faster than the subway.''
And she said she frequently returns home without paying additional fare thanks to the ``30-minute grace period'' ㅡ users can transfer to another bus for free within 30 minutes after they leave the first.
Since a series of innovative measures were introduced into the Seoul bus network in 2005, it has become virtually brand-new, attracting more and more customers at a faster pace than ever.
``I have seen many neighbors who have changed their commuting choice to buses from the subway for this reason,'' said Kim.
The measures included free transfers, bus-only lanes and the creation of new bus routes to locations where buses had been previously unavailable.
According to a study by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of bus users in the city exceeded that of the subway in 2008.
In 2004, around 4.59 million people used subways every day in Seoul, while 3.82 million used buses, the study showed. But the gap narrowed after the introduction of the new system, leading to a reversal in popularity. Some 4.67 million people used buses each day last year, while 4.56 million used subways.
``Since the free-transfer system was applied to buses in Gyeonggi Province last September, the number of bus users has increased further,'' said Lee Ki-hyung, chief of the bus policy division of Seoul city.
After bus-only lanes were introduced, the average speed of buses increased by 10 kilometers per hour, according to the study. The number of bus routes also jumped to 462 from 368, making it easier for people to use their services.
The city government spends around 200 billion won ($159 million) a year, mostly subsidizing companies operating buses on money-losing routes.
Critics say this is a waste. But Lee refuted the allegation, saying, ``It's for better public welfare.''
``Thanks to better bus services, fewer people drive their cars and more people are engaged in economic activities."
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