Hangang Bus to cut winter service from 40 to 32 trips a day

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will cut Hangang Bus service from 40 to 32 trips a day in winter and standardize headways at one hour. It plans to adjust operating hours to account for winter sunset times and operating conditions, while keeping transfer wait times consistent and expanding the number of terminals served to make the service more convenient.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 8th that it will implement the Hangang Bus winter operating schedule from December 1 through February 28 next year.
In winter, the number of daily trips will be reduced by 20%, from the current 40 to 32. Operating hours on the eastern route will change from 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. to 11 a.m.–9:04 p.m., while those on the western route will change from 11:20 a.m.–9:39 p.m. to 11:22 a.m.–8:42 p.m.
Although the number of trips will be reduced, the service and transfer systems will be simplified. Headways, which previously ranged from a minimum of 20 minutes to a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes, will be standardized at one hour, and transfer waiting times between the eastern and western routes will be fixed at 18 minutes. The measure is intended to make it easier for passengers to predict departure and transfer times.
The terminals where the service stops will also be adjusted. The Seoul Forest terminal will be added to the regular route, and the service will stop at both the Oksu and Apgujeong terminals, which it previously served on an alternating basis.
The group reservation service will also be expanded. The city plans to extend the service, which has been operating on weekdays at the Magok and Jamsil terminals since October 20, to weekends and other terminals, including Yeouido, sometime in December.
Safety facilities at the terminals will also be reinforced alongside the changes to the winter operating schedule. Starting next January, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will carry out work in stages to install additional support posts in the mooring facilities at seven terminals: Jamsil, Ttukseom, Oksu, Apgujeong, Yeouido, Mangwon and Magok. The Seoul Forest terminal is excluded because reinforcement work was completed during its construction.
The work is intended to improve resilience to extreme weather, including strong winds and floods, and reduce terminal movement and the effects of wakes during vessel docking and departure. Operations at the affected terminals and Hangang Bus stops there will be temporarily suspended while the work is underway. Specific schedules will be announced on the Hangang Bus website.
Meanwhile, cumulative ridership on the Hangang Bus reached 802,117 as of the 31st of last month. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said demand was increasing thanks to service improvements, including more frequent service and expanded nighttime operations.
Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Future Hangang Headquarters, said, “We will work to ensure that citizens can use the Hangang Bus more safely and conveniently through timetable adjustments tailored to winter operating conditions and upgrades to terminal facilities.”

[email protected] Lee Seol-yeong Reporter