Second Day of Seoul City Bus Strike: "Hellish Commute Even for Early Risers"

Crowds Swell on Subways Even for Early Commuters
Morning Bus Operations at Only 8%
Union and Management to Hold Post-Mediation Meeting at 3 p.m.

On January 14, the second day of the Seoul city bus union strike, citizens commuting to work flocked to the subway, expressing their frustration over the inconvenience. With the bus union and management scheduled to resume negotiations later in the afternoon, attention is focused on whether a resolution to the general strike is in sight.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as of 8 a.m. on this day, only 562 buses, or 8% of all city buses, were in operation. With the vast majority of buses still halted, the city has maintained its policy of waiving fares on the buses that are running, in consideration of the inconvenience to citizens.

Most Seoul city buses have ceased operation as the Seoul City Bus Labor Union launched an indefinite full strike on the 13th. A citizen near Seoul Station is checking a notice related to the bus strike at a bus stop. 2026.01.13 Photo by Yoon Dongju

Unlike the 2024 bus strike, which ended after just 11 hours, this strike has continued for more than 24 hours. The Seoul City Bus Labor Union and the management, represented by the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association, will enter a second post-mediation meeting at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission at 3 p.m. today. Although a post-mediation meeting was held on January 12, the two sides failed to reach a compromise, leading to the strike. Today's meeting is being held at the request of the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. If the union and management reach an agreement before midnight, Seoul city buses are expected to resume normal operations from the first service on January 15.

With buses unavailable for a second consecutive day, another "commute chaos" unfolded. In particular, Sindorim Station, a key transfer hub, was overwhelmed by crowds and became uncontrollable. Staff repeatedly urged, "Please form four lines," "Do not push the person in front of you," and "Move slowly and in an orderly manner," but the platform was already at full capacity. Many passengers had to let several trains pass due to overcrowding, and continuous announcements inside the station warned, "Due to the strike, congestion may occur, so please be careful for your safety."

Even citizens who left home earlier than usual to avoid the "hell train" found themselves helpless. Ms. Jung (35), whom we met at Gangnam Station, said, "I thought more people would take the subway because of the bus strike, so I left about 15 minutes earlier, but the situation was the same." Ms. Kim (31) also said, "I left 20 minutes earlier than usual, but the subway was so crowded that I barely managed to get on. The commute is extremely inconvenient," she complained.

The situation was similar at other major downtown stations such as Gwanghwamun and Seoul Station. Some people even set their alarms much earlier as a result of the previous day's experience. Office worker Mr. Kim (45) said, "After experiencing yesterday, I realized there were too many people, so today I left for work a full hour earlier than usual."

There were also concerns about possible crowd-related accidents. Mr. Shin (40) said, "It feels even more crowded than yesterday. With all the bus riders now taking the subway, I'm actually worried that an accident might occur."

As the strike drags on, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has further strengthened its emergency transportation measures. Anticipating an increase in subway passengers, the city extended peak-hour intensive subway operations by two hours compared to normal. As a result, the number of additional subway runs was increased from 172 to 203. At stations with high congestion, empty trains will be deployed during both morning and evening rush hours, and safety personnel will be more than doubled. The deployment of empty trains at the most congested inner-circle stations on Line 2 during the previous evening rush hour immediately alleviated platform congestion. In addition, from this day, 86 more chartered buses will be added to connect with subway stations, bringing the total to 763 chartered buses operating per day.