Seoul said on the 14th that it will launch an emergency transportation plan on the 16th, mobilizing all available means in preparation for a city bus union strike.
The Seoul city bus union warned it will go on strike starting with the first buses on the 16th if a wage negotiation agreement is not reached by the 15th. In response, Seoul began preparing for a strike in cooperation with the 25 districts.
First, if a strike occurs on the 16th, up to 1,500 free shuttle buses (charter buses) will run. 1,300 will connect major hubs and residential areas to subway stations, and the remaining roughly 200 will be deployed on major arterial roads such as Gangnam-daero, Tongilro, and Dobong-ro.
Seoul plans to further increase shuttle bus deployment on trunk routes if the strike is prolonged.
Measures to ease subway crowding will proceed as well. There will be a total of 202 additional trips per day, and the last train time will be extended until 2 a.m. the next day. During commuting hours, operations will be extended by two hours compared with usual, from 7–11 a.m. and 6–10 p.m.
Operation of curbside bus-only lanes will be temporarily suspended to allow passenger cars to use them. The measure applies to curbside bus-only lanes operated by Seoul and will be in effect from the start to the end of the strike. However, only regular buses may use center bus-only lanes.
This emergency transportation plan newly includes measures to expand alternative transportation using village buses and Ttareungyi. For village buses, the restriction on using city bus stops will be temporarily lifted, and route changes will be temporarily approved after applications by village bus companies and consultations with districts, allowing them to run on main and trunk roads. In addition, during the strike period, Seoul will temporarily make Ttareungyi free to use to disperse short- and medium-distance travel demand of around 5 km one way.
In addition, during the strike period, Seoul asked elementary, middle and high schools, public institutions, and private companies in the city to adjust school and work start times by one hour to reduce traffic congestion.
Yeo Jang-gwon, head of Seoul's Transportation Office, said, "We plan to operate alternative transportation as much as possible to minimize inconvenience to citizens," and added, "At the same time, we will strictly respond according to law and principle to illegal acts that obstruct the operations of transportation companies and drivers seeking to operate normally."