Yongin City "Introduction of Express Bus Service and Expansion of Seat Reservation System"

Measures to Reduce Seoul Commute Times
'Gwangyeok Express' Stopping Only at Major Stations to Operate from the 27th

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 8th that it plans to implement various improvement measures, including the introduction of 'Metropolitan Express Buses' and the expansion of the 'Seat Reservation System,' in consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related agencies to alleviate transportation inconveniences for citizens commuting to and from Seoul.

The improvement measures prepared by the city this time include ▲introduction of metropolitan express buses ▲expansion of the seat reservation system ▲addition of double-decker electric buses ▲stopping at variable bus stops near Myeongdong Cathedral ▲reverse operation of routes in the Gangnam area during rush hours.

Starting from the 27th, the 5001-1 "Metropolitan Express Bus" will only stop at major bus stops during commuting hours. It will operate under a "seat reservation system," where passengers must book in advance through an application before boarding.
[Photo by Yongin City]

The city will first operate the 'Metropolitan Express Bus,' which only stops at major bus stops with many passengers during the heavily congested morning rush hours to reduce travel time, starting from the 27th. The metropolitan express buses are route 5001-1 departing from Myongji University to Gangnam Station and route 5600 heading towards Gangbyeon Station.

The seat reservation system will also be expanded. The seat reservation system is a service where citizens can reserve seats on metropolitan buses heading to Seoul between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. through smartphone applications such as 'Miri' and 'DIGILOCA' before boarding. Routes 5001-1 and 5600 metropolitan express buses, which will operate from the 27th, will use the seat reservation system. From June, it will be expanded to routes 5001 (Gangnam Station), 5005 (Seoul Station), and 5700A (Gangbyeon Station). Accordingly, the number of metropolitan bus routes between Yongin and Seoul applying the seat reservation system will increase to 14 routes (33 trips).

The city also plans to expand eco-friendly double-decker electric buses to accommodate more metropolitan bus passengers. Of the total 50 electric buses scheduled to be introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport this year, 14 will be allocated to Yongin City and are expected to be sequentially deployed by the end of this year. The target routes are five buses for routes 5000A/B (Seoul Station) departing from Myongji University, one bus for route 5001 (Gangnam Station), and eight buses for route 5003 (Gangnam Station).

The city is also promoting measures to resolve bottlenecks caused by congestion in downtown Seoul. From the 16th, buses operating towards Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul, including ▲routes 4101 ▲5000A/B ▲5005 ▲5005 (reservation) ▲P9211 (rush hour), will stop at curbside bus stops instead of the central lane bus stops, which are congested due to heavy vehicle traffic.

To resolve the congestion problem in the bus-only lanes caused by metropolitan buses lined up like trains heading from Gangnam, Seoul to Gyeonggi Province during rush hours, some routes will operate with reversed stop orders. The affected routes are 1560, 5001, 5001-1, 5002B, and 5003.

These routes will operate from late June in the direction of Gyeongbu Expressway → Sinyangjae IC → Gangnam → Sinnonhyeon → Banpo IC → Gyeongbu Expressway. From the first bus departing the starting point until 2 p.m., they will operate in the existing direction, but from 2 p.m. until the last bus, they will operate in the reverse direction. The city and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expect that reverse operation will partially ease the congestion entering the southbound Gyeongbu Expressway during rush hour, reducing travel time.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, said, "We are implementing the improvement measures we have reviewed so far to alleviate the inconveniences of citizens using metropolitan buses even a little," adding, "We will continue to prepare reasonable measures to enhance citizens' transportation convenience."