Oh Sehoon: "Hangang Bus Will Achieve Financial Independence at a Rapid Pace"

Hangang Bus Operations to Resume on March 1
"Pier Revenue Can Cover the Shortfall"
"Creating a Signature Brand Image for Seoul"

With the resumption of Hangang Bus operations scheduled for March 1, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon stated that the service "will achieve financial independence at a rapid pace." He explained that this is in response to the ongoing controversy over deficits since the early phase of operations, emphasizing that the business has been designed so that it can secure its own financial resources.

Mayor Oh attended a city administration Q&A session at the Seoul Metropolitan Council's provisional meeting on the afternoon of February 25, saying, "Because the asset value of the Hangang River is high, the Hangang Bus will make a decisive contribution to creating a brand image that represents Seoul."

Oh Sehoon, mayor of Seoul, is attending the "Han River Bus Global Insight Forum" held at Hotel Naru in Mapo-gu, Seoul. 2026.02.24 Photo by Yoon Dongju

He went on to explain, "The business model itself allows passengers to use the service at a very low fare, and it has been designed so that revenue from pier operations and advertising can make up for any shortfall in funding, making it a case that will achieve financial independence at a rapid pace."

In particular, he shared points discussed by water transportation experts from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia at the Hangang Bus Development Strategy Forum held in Seoul on February 24. Mayor Oh said, "We were able to hear the view that 'initial trial and error is an issue that can be overcome through various training efforts,'" adding, "They evaluated that, in broad terms, the business design is quite desirable, including the expectation that financial independence can be achieved in a short period of time."

At the forum hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that day, water transportation experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia gathered to assess the sustainability of the Hangang Bus. They all explained that, although they initially faced difficulties due to deficits and low demand, they were able to settle into successful models through bold subsidy policies, fare system reforms, and improvements in operational efficiency.

Mayor Oh has consistently expressed confidence in operating the Hangang Bus in the black. During last year's National Assembly audit, he said, "Revenue from operations itself accounts for only a very small portion, and I gained confidence by looking at the revenue from pier ancillary facilities, the revenue from advertising, and the operational patterns over time," adding, "This is not a business that can run a deficit. On the contrary, I have gained confidence that it will shift to a surplus trend at a much faster pace than originally expected."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to resume full-route operations from March 1 and use this to check operating conditions. The Hangang Bus recently completed safety measures following a grounding accident in November last year.

The routes have also been separated to improve efficiency. Focusing on the high-demand Yeouido Pier, the service will be split into an eastern section (Jamsil-Yeouido) and a western section (Magok-Yeouido). Each of the eastern and western routes will operate 16 round trips per day, with an interval of about one hour between each trip. On the eastern route, the first boat departs from Jamsil at 10:00 a.m. and the last boat arrives at 8:27 p.m. On the western route, the first boat departs from Magok at 10:20 a.m. and the last boat arrives at 7:32 p.m.

Starting in April, an express route connecting Jamsil-Yeouido-Magok without transfers will be added during commuting hours to alleviate congestion on existing public transportation. In May, when the Garden Expo is held at Seoul Forest, a temporary pier at Seoul Forest will also be operated for visitors.

In preparation for the resumption of operations, the Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted a detailed depth survey of an 8.9 km section of the waterway on the north side of Hannam Bridge (from Apgujeong to Jamsil Pier) to ensure safe navigation. Based on the survey results, it completed dredging work in areas where depth was insufficient and removal of foreign objects on the riverbed. To address the causes of the previous grounding accident, namely deviation from the designated channel and poor visibility of buoys, the city has established a channel deviation prevention system that triggers an alarm when a vessel strays from the route, and replaced the buoys in the accident area, increasing their height from 1.4 meters to 4.5 meters to improve channel visibility and nighttime navigation safety.

In addition, of the 120 issues pointed out during the joint government inspection in November last year, the city has completed measures on 96 items, including those directly related to navigation safety, and is working to complete the remaining 24 items by the first half of this year. The city also plans to continuously improve the boarding environment and user convenience by creating "Riverview Gardens" around seven piers so that Hangang Bus passengers can relax and enjoy Hangang Park, and by installing scenic rest areas at the Mangwon, Apgujeong, and Ttukseom piers.