Seoul to extend public transport services on New Year's Eve

A notice announcing extensions to operating hours for bus services on New Year's Eve is displayed in a bus windshield in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will extend subway and bus operations until 2 a.m. on New Year's Day, it said Wednesday.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, subway services, which typically conclude at midnight on holidays, will be extended until 2 a.m. the next day. A total of 173 additional services will operate covering Seoul Metro lines 1 to 9.

Final departure times will vary by line and destination, with the operating hours of trains bound for Gyeonggi Province and Incheon mostly ending before midnight.

For city buses, final departure times will be extended. However, only 38 routes with stops near the bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion and Sejong-daero will operate on temporary detour routes until 7 a.m. on Jan. 1. Notices regarding detour routes and service extensions will be posted inside buses and at bus stops by transportation companies, starting Wednesday.

Following the bell-ringing event, taxi drivers transporting citizens home will receive a late-night operation incentive.

Seoul Metro plans to deploy 119 additional employees at eight stations around the event venue, including Jonggak Station on Line 1 and Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5.

Authorities will be closely monitoring for parking violations, and vehicles not complying with on-site guidance will be towed immediately.

"We will do our best to support citizen convenience, including expanding public transport during the late hours so that many citizens can safely enjoy the event,” an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

The city government urged citizens to check the operation information of subway stations and bus stops if they intend to use public transportation on New Year's Eve.