Colorful new 'circulation train-bus' offers a new look at western Seoul's Mapo District

Home > National > Social Affairs

Colorful new 'circulation train-bus' offers a new look at western Seoul's Mapo District

Published: 09 Apr. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 18 Apr. 2025, 16:32

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A bus styled like a train that makes 17 stops across Mapo District, western Seoul, arrives at Mapo Pet Campground on April 3. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Step into an alleyway in western Seoul's Mapo District and you might spot passersby pulling out their phones, snapping photos and giggling with excitement. The reason? A bright, train-like bus navigating through Hongdae streets, featuring a steam-spouting chimney and a honking horn that sounds like a locomotive.

Decked out in colorful shades of pink, yellow and blue, and featuring Mapo’s mischievous goblin mascots, Ggaebi and Ggaesoon, this eye-catching vehicle that is referred to by its operators as a “circulation train-bus” is the district’s latest attraction. It carries passengers to 17 key spots across the area.

The bus, which is modeled to look like a train, travels along narrow alleyways, taking passengers to places like Hongdae’s Red Road and Dohwa Flower Road.

When this reporter hopped on board on Thursday, it was clear the quirky vehicle was a head-turner — pedestrians stopped in their tracks, staring and smiling at the cartoonish ride as it passed.

A screen inside Mapo District’s new train-themed bus displays the name of the next stop as it prepares to arrive at Hongdae Pedestrian-Friendly Street on April 3. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

The interior is just as whimsical as the exterior. The 16-seater electric bus features the same playful Mapo characters throughout and even the driver wears a conductor’s uniform, adding to the train theme. Each seat comes with USB ports and an outlet to charge passengers' electric devices.

Launched by the Mapo District Office, the service began its trial run after its unveiling on Jan. 25, offering free rides through the end of April.

“So far, all tickets during the pilot period have sold out,” a district official said.

In an undated photo provided by the Mapo District Office on April 7, two "circulation train buses" are parked, releasing steam from their chimneys. [MAPO DISTRICT OFFICE]

When this reporter tried to reserve a ticket through the Naver reservation page, nearly all slots were booked, with only a few remaining for the upcoming weekend.

Starting May 1, the ride will cost 5,500 won ($3.80) for adults, 3,500 won for teenagers and 3,000 won for children and seniors. All tickets are one-day passes, allowing unlimited rides between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., from Tuesday through Sunday.

The idea behind the service is to help people access both popular and lesser-known corners of Mapo that are difficult to reach by regular public transportation. The Nanji Campground and Mapo Pet Campground are some of the stops that are difficult to access by public transportation, an official said. Additionally, the bus route was designed to avoid overlapping with existing village bus routes.

The route for Mapo District’s new "circulation train-bus" is displayed in the upper left corner inside the bus. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

The 28.6-kilometer (17.8-mile) route covers 17 stops, including popular and a little more offbeat destinations: Seoul World Cup Stadium (Mapo Agriculture & Fishery Market), Haneul Park, Nanjicheon Park (Park Chung Hee Presidential Museum), Nanji Campground, Mapo Pet Campground, Hapjeong Sky Road, Mapo Saebit Culture Forest, Yonggang Food Road, Dohwa Flower Road, parts of the Red Road — Red Stage, Hongdae Festival Street and Pedestrian-Friendly Street — as well as Mangnidan-gil, Mangwon Hangang Park and sections of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Yeomni-dong and Yeonnam-dong,

Tickets for Mapo District’s new train-themed bus can be purchased at a Hongdae bus stop using sales kiosks that support English. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

One notable stop is R2, also known as the Pedestrian-Friendly Street in Hongdae, which is a part of the Red Road. The area features spacious indoor bus stop, about nine meters (30 feet) wide, where visitors can rest or escape the heat and cold. This large, themed stop is unique to R2 and the Mapo Saebit Culture Forest. Other stops are smaller with fewer amenities.

At the R2 stop, travelers — including foreign tourists — can buy tickets using kiosk machines that offer English-language support. After purchasing a ticket, passengers receive a QR code through their phones to scan each time they board. These kiosks are also available at the Dohwa Flower Road stop.

Naver Map displays the real-time location of Mapo District’s new "circulation train-bus" on April 3. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ticket holders can hop on the bus at any stop, anytime and sit wherever they like.

Onboard, audio announcements in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese inform passengers of upcoming stops. However, detailed historical and cultural explanations are currently only provided in Korean due to the short travel time between stops.

The service runs hourly, allowing passengers to hop off, explore an area for about an hour and hop back on, a district official said. The bus’s real-time location can be tracked through Naver Map, just like any other public bus. Currently, there are three buses in operation.

Tickets will soon be available via the district’s own mobile app, which is currently in development. They will also be sold at the Tourist Information Center located near the R2 stop.

With Mapo District's Hongdae being the second-most visited spot by international visitors — just after downtown Seoul's Myeong-dong in 2023, according to a survey by the Seoul Tourism Organization — officials are planning special tour packages centered on the experience of taking the colorful bus.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]