River buses to begin cruising from October, but questions remain

Social Affairs

Published: 01 Feb. 2024, 18:31 Updated: 01 Feb. 2024, 22:53

River buses to begin cruising from October, but questions remain

A river bus moves along the Thames River in London in a photo provided by the Seoul city government. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

River buses are set to operate along the Han River in Seoul in October.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday unveiled details about the new public transportation service, which the city has been promoting since last year as a resolution to alleviate rush-hour overcrowding.

"River buses, marking the beginning of environmentally-friendly water public transportation, will launch in October," Oh said during a press conference held at City Hall in downtown Seoul. Oh said the inspiration for the project stemmed from his experience riding the Uber Boat along the Thames River in London during his 11-day trip to Europe last year.

This year, a total of eight river buses will navigate the Han River, facilitating a 30-minute commute from Jamsil in southern Seoul to Yeondeungpo District in western Seoul.

The city initially plans to operate these buses at seven piers: Magok, Mangwon and Yeouido in western Seoul, Jamwon and Jamsil in southern Seoul, and Oksu and Ttukseom in eastern Seoul. More piers will be constructed over the years.

Oh particularly stressed the city's plan to enhance accessibility to these piers through adjustments to bus routes, the installation of more bus stops and the availability of public rental bicycles in the area.

The route of the river buses that will be operating along the Han River starting in October [NAM JUNG-HYUN]

Three of the seven piers — Yeouido, Oksu and Ttukseom — are already within a 5-minute walking distance from nearby subway stations, the mayor said.

According to the city's plan, each river bus will accommodate 199 passengers and travel at around 17 knots, or 31.5 kilometers per hour.

During rush hours from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the buses will operate every 15 minutes, while during normal hours, they will run every 30 minutes.

The city will operate express routes and local routes.

Express routes from Magok in western Seoul to Jamsil in southern Seoul will take 54 minutes, 21 minutes shorter than the local route.

All commuters will have designated seating with personal tables for work or study. Cafeterias and bicycle racks will be available on the river buses, and barrier-free designs will be applied to facilities for commuters with disabilities. The city also plans to establish convenience stores, cafes, and restaurants at the piers.

"We expect the transportation to turn profitable from 2027," Oh said.

The state-run Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) will handle the administration and accounting of these river buses, while the private company E-land Cruise will operate the river buses.

The city anticipates approximately 800,000 people to use the river bus annually by 2025 and 2.5 million by 2030.

The fare will be 3,000 won ($2.2) a ride, though the river bus will also be covered by the city's unlimited transit pass, the Climate Card.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveils the city's plan to start operating river buses along the Han River in the capital from October this year during a press conference held at City Hall in downtown Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Ironically, though the river bus scheme was initially raised as a means to resolve overcrowding on the Gimpo Goldline, plans to operate the river bus from Gimpo are on hold as the Gyeonggi city has yet to allocate money to build a dock near Ara Han River Gabmun.

Ara Han River Gabmun dock is located near the Gimpo Ara Bridge, notorious for its heavy traffic congestion during rush hours.

“We will continuously talk with Gimpo to ensure that around four river buses can travel from the Ara Han River Gabmun dock by 2027,” Joo Yong-tae, head of the city government’s Future Hangang Project Headquarters, said.

It is also questionable whether these river buses are environmentally friendly, as they run on a hybrid engine, a combination of electric and diesel engines. The city said it releases 48 percent less carbon dioxide than diesel engines.

According to Joo, boats operated by hybrid engines are considered “sustainable” under the law.

Meanwhile, the city government's water taxi service, launched in 2007 during Mayor Oh’s first term, has consistently incurred losses due to low accessibility and high fares.

The service was reportedly used by just 32 passengers in 2020 and less than 10 in 2021, charging commuters 5,000 won per ride.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]