Deployed on Routes 5003, 5001, and 5000
Seoul Commute Congestion Expected to Decrease and Convenience to Improve
Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 27th that it will replace the double-decker buses operating on three metropolitan bus routes with electric buses this year to improve convenience for citizens commuting to and from Seoul.
The routes where the existing double-decker buses will be replaced with double-decker electric buses are Route 5003 (8 buses) and Route 5001 (1 bus) heading toward Gangnam Station, and Route 5000 (5 buses) heading toward Seoul Station. Accordingly, the number of double-decker electric buses operating in the Yongin area will increase to a total of 33, including the existing 19 buses running on six routes.
A double-decker electric bus on route 5003 operating from Yongin to Gangnam Station in Seoul. Yongin City plans to replace 14 regular double-decker buses on three routes with electric buses this year. [Photo by Yongin City]
The city has decided, after consultations with transportation companies, to officially operate the new double-decker electric buses within this year. In particular, the departure points of Routes 5000 and 5003, which until now started from Chodang Station from 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from Myeongji-daero afterward, will be changed to Namdong Garage in Cheoin-gu, where electric bus charging facilities are available.
The double-decker electric buses have a capacity of 71 passengers, which is 27 more than the 44-passenger single-decker buses. This is expected to help alleviate congestion during peak commuting hours and also reduce air pollution, according to the city’s observations.
Currently, among the metropolitan buses passing through Giheung Station, only one double-decker electric bus each operates on Routes 5001 and 5003. Of the total 19 buses on Route 5000, 12 are double-decker buses; on Route 5001, 2 out of 16 buses; and on Route 5003, 11 out of 20 buses are double-decker buses. However, due to frequent breakdowns caused by aging vehicles, single-decker buses have often been urgently deployed, causing difficulties.
A city official explained, "The expansion of double-decker electric buses this time is a result of requests made for additional route allocations around Giheung Station through consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Metropolitan Transportation Committee to resolve the inconvenience faced by citizens who had difficulty boarding buses just before entering Suwon and Singal IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway." Previously, in November last year, the city introduced intermediate dispatching by deploying three charter buses during peak hours on Route 5005, which runs from Gangnam University Station in Giheung-gu to Seoul Station.
Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, said, "We will continue to make efforts so that citizens can use metropolitan buses more conveniently in the future."
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