[New Transport Refugee Report] ① "The Bus I Always Took Is Gone"... Rushing to Jaywalk and Transfer at 4:28 a.m.

The Future of Seoul - The Future of Transportation
Still "Transportation Disadvantaged" In and Around Seoul
Gyeonggi-Seoul Bus Routes Continue to Be Discontinued or Shortened
"Transportation Blind Spots" Remain in Districts Like Geumcheon-gu
"Equity Must Be Considered Beyond Efficiency"

Editor's Note[The Future of Transportation - New Transport Refugee Report] The other side of Seoul, a city ranked 16th in the world for transportation accessibility, is that it is also a city with significant disparities in access to transportation convenience. The dramatic expansion of the transportation network aimed for regional balance, but it has resulted in overcrowding in some areas and blind spots in others. Over the 75-year history of public transportation, we have now entered an era where artificial intelligence (AI) transportation systems are being established, but the transportation poor have not disappeared. Transportation disparity leads to an imbalance in quality of life. Asia Economy has investigated the reality and sought solutions.

At 3:50 a.m. on the 26th, in Ganeungdong, Uijeongbu City. On a quiet street with no stores open, a bus appeared. People hurriedly gathered at the bus stop. Those who boarded the '106-1' bus were cleaning and security workers commuting to Seoul. This bus is an alternative route for the 106 bus, which was discontinued in August last year. The 106 bus, which had run between Ganeungdong in Uijeongbu and Jongno 5-ga for over 50 years, was discontinued to create a new route to meet the new transportation demand near Gangdong-gu, Seoul. Unlike the 106 bus, which went to the heart of Seoul at Jongno 5-ga, the 106-1 bus only goes as far as Dobongsan Station. As a result, passengers from areas previously served by the 106 bus now have to transfer to another bus at Dobongsan Station.

Mr. Lee (58), who had been a regular user of the 106 bus for over 10 years while commuting to work near Changgyeonggung, said, "When I'm pressed for time, I often feel burdened by having to transfer." He always finds himself rushing when transferring to a bus heading toward Jongno from Dobongsan, and he feels anxious about possibly being late. Mr. Lee also has to cross a road between the 106-1 bus stop and the transfer bus stop heading to Seoul.

At 4:28 a.m., the 106-1 bus arrived at the 'Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center.' As Mr. Lee described, all the passengers rushed to cross the street at once. The reporter also ended up running with them. At the opposite 'Dobongsan Station' stop, we had to transfer to a Seoul city bus. There is a crosswalk about 100 meters away, but the 'psychological distance' felt longer than the physical distance due to the rush. As soon as the reporter and others who had run arrived at the stop, the city bus also arrived. What would have happened if we hadn't run? Catching his breath, Mr. Lee told the reporter, "I don't understand why they drop us off on the far side of the road. Everyone is jaywalking and running to transfer, and I'm afraid there might be an accident."

Passengers who got off bus number 106-1 on the 18th are jaywalking to move to the Dobongsan Station bus stop. Photo by Kim Youngwon

The Shadow of a 'Public Transit Mecca' Serving 9.4 Million Daily

With subways, buses, and light rail, Seoul is a megacity with public transportation used by 9.4 million people each day. But does the lifeline of Seoul's public transit truly connect every part of the city?

The answer is 'no.' Bus routes that cross the Seoul boundary into Gyeonggi Province are being cut one after another. Last year alone, routes such as 106 (Uijeongbu Ganeungdong~Jongno 5-ga), 704 (Jangheung, Yangju~Seoul Station), 542 (Gunpo~Seoul Sinsa), and 9714 (Gyoha, Paju~Namdaemun) were shortened or discontinued. Even this year, routes such as 1155 (Cheonghak-ri, Namyangju~Seokgye) and 774 (Eunpyeong~Paju) have been shortened.

An analysis of Seoul's bus route adjustment orders over the past year, starting from June last year, shows that within Seoul, the number of stops and buses increased in response to rising demand, but in Gyeonggi Province, reductions and discontinuations were the focus. Of the 19 routes adjusted, all 7 routes that were discontinued or shortened included Gyeonggi sections. These discontinued or shortened vehicles were all used to improve convenience within Seoul, or to establish new routes or increase buses in response to new apartment construction demand. As long-standing routes were discontinued one after another, passengers commuting between Gyeonggi and Seoul voiced opposition. In particular, on the 106-1 bus, the alternative to the 106 route that the reporter took, people were waiting at every stop even at 4 a.m., and the bus was so crowded that some had to stand. As a result, complaints were concentrated, and even the mayor of Uijeongbu attended a rally opposing the discontinuation of the 106 bus.

The problem of poor public transportation accessibility also occurs within Seoul. According to Seoul Open Data Plaza, the average commuting and school travel time in Seoul in 2024 reveals disparities in public transportation accessibility by region. By area, the southwestern region of Seoul had the longest average commute and school travel time at 35.16 minutes. By district, Geumcheon-gu had the longest at 41.77 minutes, followed by Yeongdeungpo-gu at 40.91 minutes and Nowon-gu at 40.27 minutes. There is up to a 13-minute difference compared to Seodaemun-gu, which had the shortest commute time at 27.85 minutes.

The distribution of subway stations shows a 'rich-get-richer, poor-get-poorer' pattern. On lines managed by Korail and Seoul Metro, Songpa-gu has as many as 28 subway stations, Jung-gu has 23, and Gangnam-gu has 21. In contrast, Gangbuk-gu has only 3, Gwanak-gu 4, and Geumcheon-gu 4. As a result of this imbalance, there are universities in Seoul where it is difficult to access even a single subway station. Kookmin University, located in Seongbuk-gu, is a 25-30 minute walk from the nearest subway station, Bukhansan Bogungmun Station on the Ui-Sinseol Line. Most students get off at Gireum Station on Line 4 and transfer to a bus to reach the campus. However, the area around Gireum Station is notorious for chronic traffic congestion.

Heo, a Kookmin University student, said, "Even when I take the bus from Gireum Station, if it rains or it's rush hour, a 15-minute trip has sometimes taken me an hour and a half, and sometimes the traffic was so bad that I got off the bus and walked for an hour. This has happened more than once or twice." Yoon Doyoung (23), a third-year student at the same university, said, "When I take the bus from Mia Sageori during school hours, it's so crowded that I sometimes have to let a bus go by. Especially, the bus from the campus to Gireum Station is packed with students because it also passes by Sangmyung University, making it even harder."

For this reason, Kookmin University and five other universities in Seongbuk-gu have long demanded the construction of the 'Gangbuk Transversal Line' light rail. The Gangbuk Transversal Line is a light rail that would connect Cheongnyangni Station, Jeongneung and Gireum in Seongbuk-gu, Hongje in Seodaemun-gu, Digital Media City (DMC) in Mapo-gu, and Mokdong Station in Yangcheon-gu. Yoon said, "Most universities in Seoul have a subway station right in front, and it makes us envious. I probably won't get to use it before I graduate, but as a current student, if the Gangbuk Transversal Line existed, it would be much more convenient."

Economic Logic vs. Consideration for the Transportation Disadvantaged

The discontinuation of Gyeonggi bus routes and the existence of transportation blind spots within Seoul are both related to economic logic. The Gangbuk Transversal Line, demanded by universities in Seongbuk-gu, was rejected in the Ministry of Economy and Finance's preliminary feasibility study in June last year on the grounds of low economic viability. Profitability was prioritized over improving citizen accessibility.

The bus quota system, introduced in 2004 along with the quasi-public operation system, is also inseparable from financial issues. Under the quota system, to allocate buses to a new route, existing routes must be eliminated to use those vehicles. This makes it difficult to establish new routes, and even if new routes are created, it results in other citizens losing their routes. The discontinuation of Gyeonggi routes and the creation of new routes in Gangdong and Jangwi in Seoul are part of this trend. While Seoul claims that the quota system is implemented to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, there is also the aspect of limiting increases in buses to prevent excessive financial input under the quasi-public system, which subsidizes bus company deficits. Kim Hoonbae, Policy Committee Member of the Public Transport Network, said, "If you increase the number of vehicles, the budget increases accordingly, which is why the quota system is enforced. If the city had a direct public operation system, a foundation could have been established to meet demand even in underserved areas."

Regarding the discontinuation of Gyeonggi routes, Seoul City says it is based on traffic flow considerations. A Seoul official said, "People in Gyeonggi and Incheon just want direct routes all the way to the center of Seoul, which creates overload. For the overall traffic in Seoul, it is appropriate to terminate routes at outer hubs like Gupabal or Dobongsan." He added, "There are about 7,000 Seoul city buses, but more than 6,000 Gyeonggi buses also enter Seoul, so the current supply of Gyeonggi buses is not low compared to the road network."

However, experts say that public transportation should pursue the value of equal access opportunities as much as possible. Kang Kyungwoo, Professor of Transportation and Logistics Engineering at Hanyang University, said, "Under the bus quota system, routes with low demand and difficult operations are the first to be discontinued. If we only pursue efficiency, the number of underserved areas will increase. To maintain the world-class public transportation service level that Seoul has achieved, we must also maintain equity by considering the disadvantaged and underserved areas."