Seongdong-gu's 'Seonggong Bus' Surpasses 3,000 Daily Riders, Becomes a Nationwide Model

Village Bus Ridership Up 7.3%
Adopted by Six Seoul Districts and More

Seongdong-gu in Seoul (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) has seen its 'Seonggong Bus' surpass an average of 3,000 daily passengers just one year after its introduction, and the model is now spreading to local governments nationwide. On December 16, Seongdong-gu announced that the Seonggong Bus, a community-based transportation service, is establishing itself as a new model for public transit.

Seongdong-gu's 'Seonggong Bus' is spreading as a new model of a living-based transportation system. Operation of the four newly established Seonggong Bus routes since last November. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

The Seonggong Bus was designed in 2023 to fill gaps left by existing village bus routes and improve accessibility for transportation-disadvantaged areas. The design process utilized 'big data-based optimization analysis of village bus routes' and incorporated resident feedback. Starting with the launch of its first route in October last year, the service expanded last month to a fourth route connecting Oksu-dong and Wangsimni (Seongdong-gu Office), thereby establishing a transportation network that links major public facilities across all 17 neighborhoods in Seongdong-gu.

Initially, the Seonggong Bus served just 304 passengers per day, but it grew rapidly as routes, stops, and intervals were improved based on resident feedback during the pilot phase. Over 14 months, cumulative ridership reached 380,000, and the average daily passenger count rose to 3,000-an almost tenfold increase from the initial figure. In a satisfaction survey conducted this year, 87% of the 944 respondents expressed satisfaction, and 94% indicated their intention to use the service again.

A comparison of data before and after the introduction of the Seonggong Bus shows that village bus ridership in Seongdong-gu increased by 7.2%, significantly outpacing Gwangjin-gu (4%), Dongdaemun-gu (5.2%), and the Seoul city average (3.2%). This demonstrates that the Seonggong Bus has created new demand for public transportation by connecting previously underserved areas, and that this new demand has, in turn, contributed to increased use of village buses, resulting in a mutually beneficial transportation effect.

The success of the Seonggong Bus has attracted attention from local governments across the country. Among Seoul’s districts, six have already enacted ordinances to provide a legal basis for operating public facility shuttle buses, and two other local governments outside Seoul have done the same. Districts such as Nowon-gu, Jung-gu, and Gwanak-gu are now operating shuttle buses that connect public facilities, applying the Seonggong Bus model in practice.

The Seonggong Bus was selected by residents as one of the 'Top 10 News Stories of 2024 That Brightened Seongdong,' and in July, it received the Outstanding Policy Award for Districts at the 2nd Korea Sustainable City Evaluation Seminar.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "The Seonggong Bus has not only become a new mode of transportation that practically solves mobility issues for our residents, but it has also emerged as an innovative transportation model spreading nationwide. We will continue to optimize the operation of the Seonggong Bus through ongoing monitoring and by incorporating resident feedback, striving to ensure seamless mobility rights for all our residents."