Get around Korea with alternative modes of transportation

K-campus

Published: 09 Apr. 2022, 07:00 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 17:34

Get around Korea with alternative modes of transportation

“Let’s Run Run Run again! I can’t stop! Once again Run Run Run! I can’t help it but run!” Like BTS’s song "Run," life in Seoul can be busy, and sometimes it seems like people run around 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Public transportation may sound like the fastest and the most efficient way to get around, but subways and buses are not the only options available.

Bicycles are a good choice to get around the city, while scooters are a popular option for students on university campuses. If you want to go outside of Seoul, renting a car may be another option.

Bicycles: Ttareungi

If you are someone that loves getting a breath of fresh air, experiencing nature and getting in your daily dose of exercise, then Ttareungi may be just for you. Ttareungi is a public bike rental system that offers anyone a view of Seoul from the perspective of two wheels.

The Seoul service first started in 2015, enabling citizens to rent bicycles around the Han river. It has since grown into a larger system with more than 2,600 rental stations and 40,500 bicycles around the city as of 2021.

The Ttareungi app is easy enough to navigate. You can choose between a one- or two-hour ticket that charges 1,000 won (80 cents) per hour. If you exceed your time limit, you will be charged an additional 200 won every 5 minutes.

You can easily find rental stations around Seoul. The stations are bright green and easy to spot, and many are located near the entrance of subway stations, with usually around 15 to 20 bikes.

Ttareungi bikes can be rented at any time of day. Stations are operated electronically all day and night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Once you successfully rent a bike, cycle around Seoul and arrive at your destination or run out of time, you simply return the bike at any one of the stations. Before you leave, make sure you receive a return message after locking the bike, or else you may be charged.

With spring just around the corner, there are many great spots to take a bike ride. A two-hour ride from the Han River’s picnic spot in Yeouido, western Seoul, to the beautiful Seokchon Lake Park near Jamsil station in southern Seoul is one good option. Han River offers a well maintained bike and pedestrian lane all along the river, allowing anyone traveling the route to enjoy the scenery as they pass.

“I like [Ttareungi] because there is an English version of the app,” said Khan Arletta, a senior at Seoul National University. “Also, there is no membership subscription, so you can just rent it for an hour whenever you need it!

“There are so many spots to take your bike, which is very easy to find on the map.”

Scooters: XingXing

The size of the campuses of some Korean universities can be startling at first. Seoul National University’s large campus is easy on the eyes, but tiresome to travel around. Many students complain about the campus being the size of a village — located on Mount Gwanak, nonetheless, which many find themselves having to walk up to attend their 9 a.m.

On other university campuses like that of Yonsei University, walking from one building to another can take some 15 to 20 minutes.

If you’re tired of the long walks, one solution could be scooters, easily accessible by downloading scooter rental apps.

XingXing was launched for the first time in 2019 in the Gangnam area. It later spread to different parts of the city like university campuses and business districts.

Unlike Ttareungi, XingXing — and other scooter rental services — doesn’t have designated scooter stations where scooters must be returned. Scooters can be left wherever — it can be left lying along the side of the streets or in front of your university campus building. It just has to be returned within the designated service area of the application.

To find available scooters, open the XingXing application. The app will show the location of available scooters near the customer.

The only disadvantage of these services is that the renter must have an active driver's license to rent a scooter.

“I use it mostly when I’m late for my classes. But also when the weather is nice, driving a scooter feels like anti-stress therapy,” said Luke Chung, a junior at Seoul National University.

Large universities like Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University have shuttle buses that go through campus for anyone to ride. In Seoul National University in particular, shuttle buses operate around the school year-round.

Other options

XingXing isn’t the only scooter rental app — there are various other services throughout the city and country. One of such is Kickgoing, available only in Seoul. Frequent users may find their app handy because it offers monthly passes at a discounted price. Options for the monthly passes allow members to ride scooters 10, 20 or 30 times a month.

International companies such as Lime also offer services in Korea. The service can be a great choice for non-Seoul residents because it operates in Daejeon and Busan as well. Lime has hourly rates.

Traveling outside of Seoul

Student life is not limited to the borders of university campuses, and both Korean and international students love traveling outside of Seoul. It is common for students to travel during the summer holidays to Korea's oceanside cities, like Busan or Sokcho and Gangneung in Gangwon.

To get around places far away or without ready public transportation, your best plan of action may be to rent a car or take a train or intercity bus. For anyone who has a driver's license valid in Korea, applications such as Socar and SK rent car can be great options to drive around to their heart's content.

“Socar is used if you want to travel for long distances, from city to city,” said Navin Rajan, a senior at Seoul National University. “For example, it’s perfect for a 2-hour drive.”

For far away destinations like Busan — one of the cities farthest from Seoul, located in the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula — there are three options: planes, KTX high speed trains and intercity buses.

Express Bus T-money is an application to buy tickets for intercity buses. Since international students are often on a budget, the relatively affordable prices of these buses are a big advantage. Buses range from premium class to normal, comfort, superior and more, with particular prices for each type.

The premium class buses have spacey seats, TV screens in front of the seats and charger sockets, but is the most expensive. Normal buses won’t have all the fancy accommodations, but will be much more affordable.

BY STUDENT REPORTER KHAGAY TATYANA, MARIE-JOSEPHINE HATJE