Seoul Public Transportation Usage Surpasses '10 Million Daily' After 2 Years... Late-Night Transit Measures Enhance Citizen Convenience

Results of Measures Implemented: Secured Transport Capacity Leading to Increased Passengers... 12,000 Transport Capacity Secured
Passenger Numbers Recovered 86% Compared to Pre-COVID-19
City Mobilizes Total Transport Capacity of Buses, Taxis, and Subways

On the first day of the outdoor mask mandate being lifted, on the 2nd, citizens wearing masks are walking at Gwanghwamun Station of the Seoul subway. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced that as a result of implementing late-night public transportation measures to respond to the surge in travel demand following the lifting of social distancing, the daily number of public transportation users has surpassed 10 million for the first time in two years, showing signs of recovery.

According to Seoul City on the 18th, the city has been proactively implementing phased measures such as expanding late-night public transportation operations in preparation for the expected increase in citizen travel demand. First, starting from April 18, Owl Bus services are being gradually expanded, and from May 9, the last bus departure times have been promptly extended, mobilizing all available transportation capacity.

In particular, to alleviate the difficulty of hailing late-night taxis, the city expanded taxi supply and also increased public transportation availability during late-night hours. Not only taxis but also buses and Owl Buses can now be conveniently used throughout the city center, leading to an increase in public transportation users and demonstrating the effect of supporting citizen mobility.

Since the implementation of the transportation measures, public transportation capacity has increased to about 12,000 passengers in a short period, expanding late-night transportation capacity. Although the late-night public transportation capacity is still about 30,000 passengers short compared to April 2019 before COVID-19, the city has secured an additional 12,000 late-night transportation capacity through extended city bus operations, expanded Owl Bus services, and increased late-night taxis. As a result, since the measures were implemented in May, about 84% of the 2019 late-night transportation volume has been secured.

The daily number of users also surpassed 10 million for the first time in about two years. This level corresponds to 85.5% of the pre-COVID-19 period, and the surge in late-night demand combined with the expansion of public transportation supply has led to an increasing trend. On weekdays, public transportation users numbered 9.93 million in the fourth week of April, but in the first week of May, the number exceeded 10.07 million for the first time in two years since COVID-19, and in the second week of May, it continued to rise to 10.28 million.

City bus users increased by 18.1% just one week after the last bus departure time extension implemented on May 9. Owl Bus ridership increased by about 11% until the first week of May but maintained a 4% growth rate as some users shifted to city buses due to the last bus extension. Meanwhile, the supply of late-night taxis also increased by about 3,000 vehicles daily through measures such as lifting taxi restrictions and expanding late-night exclusive taxis. Before the measures, in the third week of April, about 17,000 taxis operated daily, but by the second week of May, the supply had increased to about 20,000 taxis per day. Additionally, during peak late-night hours on Fridays from 11 p.m. to midnight, an additional 24,000 to 25,000 taxis were deployed, securing a significant portion of late-night taxi demand.

Subway ridership during late-night hours after 10 p.m. is also on the rise. In the second week of May, late-night subway users increased by 9% compared to the fourth week of April, reaching 260,000, and daily ridership has surpassed 5 million since May, continuing the upward trend. Seoul City expects that if late-night subway operations are extended in June, late-night transportation capacity will be further strengthened. When late-night extended operations resume, about 308 additional subway trips (Lines 1 to 9, Ui-Sinseol Line, and Sillim Line) will be added daily, enabling transportation for up to 170,000 passengers, thus meeting tailored citizen late-night travel demand.

Meanwhile, Seoul City will continuously monitor transportation operation data such as user increase status and congestion levels, and consider additional measures such as deploying more vehicles in areas with high citizen usage. Baek Ho, Director of Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, stated, “We are mobilizing all transportation capacities including buses, taxis, and subways to enhance late-night travel convenience,” and added, “We will do our best to quickly support the lives of Seoul citizens who have entered a 24-hour economy system and ensure their safe return home.”