"Sold Out Again Today"... Hangang Bus Carries 60,000 Passengers in a Month, an All-Time High

Data show that Hangang Bus, which resumed service across all sections on the 1st of last month, carried 62,491 passengers in March, setting a new monthly ridership record.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 2nd, Hangang Bus carried an average of 2,016 passengers per day in March, with about 1,340 on weekdays and 3,667 on weekends. The monthly total increased by 16,539 compared with the previous record high of 45,952 passengers in November last year.
In March, weekday ridership reached 29,486, while weekend ridership totaled 33,005. For both weekdays and weekends, usage peaked between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
By terminal, Yeouido accounted for 43% of passengers, followed by Jamsil at 16% and Ttukseom at 14%. The city explained, "Yeouido Ferry Terminal, which serves as a transfer hub, recorded the highest usage," adding, "On the 28th of last month, all pre-distributed boarding tickets at Yeouido Ferry Terminal were fully booked early for every sailing."
Concerns about confusion among transferring passengers when full operations resumed have been minimized by deploying additional guides at Yeouido Ferry Terminal and creating a separate waiting area outside the terminal. The waiting area has seating and posted timetables to improve transfer convenience. About 9% of all users transfer between the eastern and western routes, with 5% traveling from west to east and 4% from east to west.
Hangang Bus has operated accident-free for about a month since full service resumed. Its on-time arrival rate has averaged over 97%.
Ancillary businesses operating at the Hangang Bus terminals are also benefiting from the increase in visitors. The Starbucks at Yeouido Ferry Terminal is seeing high usage on both weekdays and weekends, while NEW CASE at Mangwon Dock is hosting various rental events such as fan meetings. Cinnabon at Apgujeong Dock, Vinyl at Ttukseom Dock, and Terarosa Coffee at Jamsil Dock are likewise enjoying strong patronage and providing stable services.
The city stressed, "As utilization of these ancillary facilities increases, Hangang Bus can continue to offer services at the current low fares, and the city’s financial burden is significantly reduced," adding, "At the same time, we are creating new content for citizens to enjoy, which also helps enhance Seoul’s urban competitiveness."
During the BTS THE CITY ARIRANG SEOUL period, the city is operating rest areas for domestic and international tourists using Hangang Bus at five terminals: Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Ttukseom, and Jamsil. During the Seoul Spring Festival, one of Seoul’s signature spring events, it also plans to offer programs tailored to the unique characteristics of each of the seven terminals.
Park Jin-young, Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Han River Project Headquarters, said, "Thanks to citizens’ interest and support, Hangang Bus surpassed 60,000 monthly passengers in March," adding, "We will work closely with the operator to live up to expectations and do our utmost to provide safe, high-quality services."
chlee1@fnnews.com Reporter Lee Chang-hoon Reporter