The Han River Bus, introduced with the aim of letting office workers commute by boat on the Han River, stopped service due to frequent breakdowns and resumed on the 1st. After riding the Han River Bus during commuting hours on the weekdays of the 3rd to the 5th, there were hardly any office workers. It takes much longer than other public transportation. Instead, couples on dates and foreign tourists looking to see the Han River night view filled the seats.
◇ Morning and evening alike, "I came to try it once"… Some passengers said it takes 2 hours to get home but "it's healing"
The Han River Bus operates 16 times a day at 1 hour and 30 minute intervals among seven piers: Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Oksu, Ttukseom, and Jamsil. Service starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 9:37 p.m. It takes 2 hours and 7 minutes from the Magok terminus to the Jamsil pier. Eight boats with 155 or 199 seats are deployed.
Because the first boats from Magok and Jamsil depart at 9 a.m., it is practically difficult for office workers to use them for the morning commute. On the first boat from Jamsil to Magok that departed at 9 a.m. on the 5th, which this reporter took, eight people boarded. Not all of them were commuting.
When the reporter asked a man in his 20s if he was commuting, he waved his hand and said, "I came to try it once." A man in his 50s said, "I live nearby in Bangi-dong (Songpa-gu), so I came by Ttareungyi (public bicycle). I haven't even decided where to go yet. I'm going to wander around freely today."
Twenty people boarded at the Apgujeong pier. A person surnamed Kim in his mid-50s said, "I tried it on a day off to experience it," and added, "For ordinary office workers, every minute on the way to work matters, so it looks hard to use for commuting."
It was the same on the way home. At about 7:30 p.m. on the 4th, a person surnamed Shin (46) who boarded the Jamsil-bound Han River Bus at the Oksu pier said, "I am commuting home, but it takes 30 to 40 minutes longer than using other public transportation," and added, "I just took it out of curiosity."
A person surnamed Kim (32) who boarded the Jamsil-bound Han River Bus at the Yeouido pier said, "I get off work at 6 p.m., but the service interval is awkward, so I have to wait an hour to board," and added, "I'm trying it once today, but I don't know if I'll take it again."
However, a person surnamed Lee (42) who took the Han River Bus at 7:30 p.m. on the 3rd at the Jamsil pier was on the way home from a company near Jamsil Station to a home in Sindorim. Normally, Lee takes the subway about 40 minutes from Jamsil Station to Sindorim Station, but that day, it took a total of 2 hours and 10 minutes: 20 minutes from the office to the pier, 1 hour and 20 minutes by Han River Bus to Yeouido, and 30 minutes by bus to home. Lee said, "There's no unpleasant feeling of being pressed close to strangers like on the subway," and added, "After work, I want to heal."
The Seoul city government plans to deploy four additional Han River buses starting in March next year and double the number of runs to 32 a day. It also plans to extend service hours from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. to reduce passenger inconvenience.
◇ No "please disembark" announcement even after arriving at the pier… Some nearly missed boarding
The Han River Bus also departed earlier than the set timetable, causing inconvenience to passengers. At about 7:46 p.m. on the 3rd at the Ttukseom pier, a person surnamed Lee in their 40s boarded the boat with an angry look. Lee had come from a workplace in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu to take the Han River Bus and, needing to wait about an hour, spent time eating ramen at a convenience store in the pier. Around 7:45 p.m., Lee came to the boarding gate to find the boat about to leave. Lee complained to a staffer, saying, "It's not time yet, so why are you going?" and barely managed to board the Han River Bus.
There were no announcements like on the subway or bus telling passengers to prepare to get off at the next stop. When the Jamsil-bound Han River Bus arrived at the Apgujeong pier at 7:17 p.m. on the 4th, there was no "please disembark" announcement and only the door opened. A man sitting inside realized this late and ran out a minute later. A guide shouted, "Is there anyone else who would like to disembark?" Then four passengers boarded, and the Han River Bus departed immediately. It was one minute earlier than the departure time listed on the timetable (7:19 p.m.).
A Seoul city official said, "We are continuously telling the captains not to depart earlier than scheduled just because there are no passengers and to depart on time." There are currently 18 Han River Bus captains, about 30% of whom are trainees.
◇ Announcement says, "Scan the QR code to fill out the boarding report and go out to the deck," but only in Korean
Foreign tourists said they take the Han River Bus to enjoy Seoul's scenery. A woman in her 30s from India whom we met on a Han River Bus from Ttukseom to Jamsil at about 5 p.m. on the 3rd said, "Seoul is so beautiful that I came to ride the Han River Bus," and added, "I also took the Han River Bus on the 1st when I went to Yeouido Hangang Park."
However, there was a lack of guidance for foreigners. To go out to the deck to see the night view of the Han River, passengers must scan a QR code with their phone and fill out a boarding report. The announcement was only in Korean. One Thai passenger could not understand the explanation and did not fill out the boarding report, but a guide failed to properly check this, allowing the passenger to take photos of Seoul's night view from the deck.
Also, departure and arrival notices on the vessel were only in Korean, and there was no guidance in English, Japanese, or Chinese on the timetable. Silvia Michel (56) from Israel said, "I had no idea when and at which stop I could get on and off."