The Seoul City Government announced on the morning of the 27th that two Han River buses have arrived at the Han River.
The Han River buses 101 and 102 that arrived that day departed from Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, on the 24th and reached the Han River after three days, passing through the South Sea and the West Sea.
The Han River buses are 35 meters long and 9.5 meters wide, capable of carrying 199 passengers at a time.
The average speed is 17 knots (31.5 km/h), and the maximum speed is 20 knots (37 km/h). According to the Seoul City Government, using the Han River bus allows passengers to reach Yeouido from Jamshil in 30 minutes.
The Seoul City Government plans to conduct trial operations of the Han River buses starting in early March. This will involve checking the infrastructure such as docks, routes, and safety facilities.
The deployment of the Han River bus docks has been completed at six out of seven locations: Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Ttukseom, and Jamshil. The remaining dock at Oksoo is expected to be completed by March.
The Seoul City Government plans to officially launch Han River bus operations in the first half of the year. During official operations, buses will run every 15 minutes during rush hours, eventually increasing the frequency.
One-way fare for the Han River bus has been set at 3,000 won. Unlimited rides are available with the Climate Companion Card.
Park Jin-young, head of the Future Han River Headquarters of the Seoul City Government, noted, "We will ensure that the Han River bus, a large-scale waterborne public transportation system starting operations for the first time, can be used safely and comfortably."
Meanwhile, the Seoul City Government originally planned to launch the Han River buses in October of last year. However, the operation was delayed due to difficulties in recruiting personnel caused by rising labor costs and the process not progressing as scheduled.