Hangang Bus tops 800,000 passengers, cuts winter trips to 32 per day
Hangang Bus / Korea Times file
Cumulative ridership on the Hangang Bus, Seoul’s ferry service on the Han River, has surpassed 800,000, and the city will reduce daily trips and simplify the timetable for the winter season, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday.
As of Oct. 31, the service had carried 802,117 passengers, a rise the city attributed to added trips and expanded night operations.
From Dec. 1 last year through Feb. 28, the number of daily trips will drop from 40 to 32, as earlier sunsets allow passengers to see the river’s night views earlier in the evening.
The eastern route will run from 11 a.m. to 9:04 p.m., instead of 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., while the western route will operate from 11:22 a.m. to 8:42 p.m., instead of 11:20 a.m. to 9:39 p.m.
Intervals between boats, which had ranged from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, will be standardized at one hour, and the transfer wait between the eastern and western routes will be fixed at 18 minutes.
Seoul Forest Pier will be added to the regular route, and boats will stop at both Oksu and Apgujeong piers rather than alternating between them.
The city also plans to expand its group reservation service, launched Oct. 20 on weekdays at Magok and Jamsil piers, to weekends and other piers including Yeouido in December.
Starting in January, the city will add support pillars to the mooring facilities at seven piers — Jamsil, Ttukseom, Oksu, Apgujeong, Yeouido, Mangwon and Magok — to better withstand strong winds, floods and other extreme weather linked to climate change. Seoul Forest Pier was excluded because it was reinforced during construction.
Boats will not stop at each pier while work is underway. Work schedules will be posted on the Hangang Bus website.
“As demand continues to grow, with cumulative ridership on the Hangang Bus surpassing 800,000, we will keep pushing forward operational improvements to enhance passenger safety and convenience,” said Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Future Hangang Project Headquarters. “We will adjust schedules for winter conditions and reinforce dock facilities to ensure citizens can use the service safely and comfortably.”
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.