"Why Are Free Shuttle Buses Still Running for the 'Partial Operation' Hangang Bus? Budget Waste Criticized"

Only Magok?Yeouido Route in Operation Since the 16th
Free Shuttles at Apgujeong and Jamsil Continued Until Suspension on the 21st

While the Hangang Bus, a flagship project of Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon, has been operating only partially on the Magok-Yeouido route, criticism has arisen over budget waste as free shuttle buses continued to run at the Apgujeong and Jamsil Hangang Bus docks, where no boats were in service.

Lee Youngsil, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Environment and Water Resources Committee (Democratic Party, Jungnang 1), pointed out the delayed administrative response, stating that even though the Hangang Bus switched to a "partial operation" system-running only between Magok and Yeouido-on November 16 last year, the free shuttles at Apgujeong and Jamsil continued for more than two months and were only suspended on the 21st of this month.

Hangang Bus. Photo by Yonhap News

Hangang Bus Co., Ltd., the operator of the Hangang Bus, runs three shuttle buses at Jamsil dock and one at Apgujeong dock. This month, the average daily number of passengers was fewer than 10. In contrast, the free shuttle bus service at the Hangang Bus docks incurs a fixed monthly cost of 46 million won. This amounts to approximately 550 million won annually, and a total of 1.1 billion won over two years.

The free shuttle buses operate only during commuting hours (06:30-09:00 and 17:30-21:00) and do not run on weekends or public holidays. Despite criticism that this operating model does not align with the leisure- and tourism-oriented nature of the Hangang Bus, no significant adjustments were made after the reduction in service.

Assemblywoman Lee Youngsil stated, "The Seoul city government usually refuses residents' requests to adjust city bus routes by even one or two stops, citing the number of passengers and cost-effectiveness. Yet the city maintained shuttle buses, used by fewer than 10 people a day, at docks where boats were not even running for over two months. This is a double standard in administration."

She added, "For a project that costs more than 500 million won a year, it should be standard practice to monitor usage and operational realities regularly and make immediate adjustments. The recent suspension is not a sign of effective management, but rather the accumulated result of complacent administration."

Assemblywoman Lee also criticized, "If the Hangang Bus had effectively entered partial operation, it would have been common sense to adjust or suspend shuttle routes at that point. Continuing the operation reflects lax and complacent administration."

Meanwhile, the Hangang Bus, a key initiative of the Seoul city government, is currently running at partial capacity due to a series of accidents and safety improvement requests from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The city announced that the full reopening of all Hangang Bus routes, originally planned for this month, has been postponed to next month or early March.

Previously, in November last year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted a joint government inspection of the Hangang Bus and notified the city of a total of 120 issues. In response, the city submitted its corrective actions and implementation plan on December 30, promising normalization within January. However, as the ministry requested further details and additional improvements for insufficient measures, the schedule was delayed.