Seoul suspends Hangang Bus service amid safety concerns, public criticism

A Hangang Bus heads toward a dock in Seoul's Yeouido, Sept. 21. Yonhap

Starting Monday, Seoul will suspend passenger service on the Hangang Bus for approximately a month, following mounting public criticism over its slow speed and recurring mechanical failures.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that the Hangang Bus experienced minor technical and electrical glitches early in its operation. Although immediate fixes were made, the city said it will suspend service to ensure stable operations and passenger safety.

While service is suspended, the test operation will run without passengers on the same schedule as a regular service.

The city will use data collected from each vessel during the trial to improve service quality and strengthen contingency plans for various scenarios and weather conditions.

The Hangang Bus, which made its inaugural run 10 days ago, is facing criticism over its effectiveness and reports of mechanical issues.

The travel time for the Magok–Jamsil regular route has risen to 127 minutes from the originally announced 75, while the express route now takes 82 minutes instead of 54. With additional time needed to get to and from the docks, the service drew criticism for offering no time savings over the subway system, through which the same trip can be made as quickly as 54 minutes.

Frequent breakdowns have been another problem. On Friday, one river bus returned to port just 10 minutes after departure due to a rudder malfunction, and all 70 passengers were refunded. On Sunday, two of the four river buses remained out of service for maintenance.

“About 25,000 people have used the Hangang Bus over the past 10 days, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused by the unavoidable trial operation aimed at making the service safer and more comfortable,” said Park Jin-young, head of the Future Hangang Project Headquarters.

“We will conduct systematic and thorough trial runs to ensure the Hangang Bus becomes a safer and more reliable water transportation option representing Seoul.”