Bus Union: "Difficult Environment for Legal Operation Until Now" vs. Seoul City: "Distortion of Facts"

Conflicting Views on "Legal Operation" of City Buses

The Seoul city bus union has issued an appeal asking for public support for their "legal operation," which means strictly adhering to regulations while driving. The union pointed out that it has been difficult to fully comply with the law due to city guidelines, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government countered by stating that this was a "distortion of the facts."

On May 8, the Seoul City Bus Labor Union released an appeal titled "Support the Legal and Safe Operation of Seoul City Bus Drivers." The union stated that regardless of the outcome of negotiations, their goal is to continue legal operation in order to create a safer transportation culture.

On the 30th of last month, the labor-management negotiations for Seoul city buses broke down, leading to a legal strike. The legal strike proceeded by ensuring that all passengers were fully seated or holding onto handrails before departure. City bus drivers refrained from sudden acceleration, sudden braking, abrupt lane changes, door-opening departures, and cutting in. The photo shows a bus stop in Seoul city on the 7th. 2025.05.07 Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

The union said, "We have been unable to fully comply with regulations due to Seoul City's punctuality guidelines and company directives to maintain bus intervals." They claimed that if bus intervals widen, companies receive lower scores in city evaluations, which leads to disciplinary action against bus drivers. According to the union, even a one-day suspension can result in a wage loss of over 500,000 won.

The union continued, "As a result, we have been forced to make sudden departures and abrupt stops before passengers were fully seated, just to avoid losing sight of the bus ahead," adding, "We will no longer comply with such illegal and unreasonable instructions."

In response, the city issued a statement saying, "The union's claim that the city has forced bus drivers to engage in illegal and unreasonable driving, and that a legal strike is therefore unavoidable, is a distortion of the facts, as it generalizes a few exceptional cases."

The city explained, "We have provided administrative guidance to ensure that company evaluation results are not used as a means of disciplining transport workers. We also recognize that, depending on traffic conditions and other factors, it may not be possible to meet the authorized number of trips, and there are no penalties as long as at least 98% of the authorized trips are operated."

The city added, "Despite the current legal strike by the union, the fact that the city bus service environment has not significantly deteriorated is evidence that a culture of legal operation is taking root in the city bus industry."

The city further pointed out, "On the contrary, some drivers are taking advantage of the union's claims to demand excessive wage increases and are intentionally delaying operations, using citizens' right to mobility as leverage. As a result, many drivers who have always operated safely are being unfairly portrayed as having engaged in illegal driving."

The city stated, "We will take a firm stance against intentional delays, and we will also conduct thorough post-evaluations to ensure that all drivers are not unfairly affected by the actions of a few who deliberately delay operations."