Seoul's Hangang Bus will begin stopping at the Seoul Forest dock from Sunday. Although the service sparked debate throughout the June 3 local elections, the project is expected to continue following the reelection of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that the Hangang Bus will stop at the Seoul Forest dock 16 times a day from Sunday through the end of October. As a result, residents will be able to use the Hangang Bus to visit the Seoul International Garden Show, which is being held across the Seoul Forest, Hangang River, and Seongsu-dong areas.
The Seoul International Garden Show runs for 180 days, from June 1 through October 27. The event features 167 gardens created across approximately 710,000 square meters of land in the Seoul Forest, Hangang River, and Seongsu-dong areas. The Seoul city government said that after surpassing 10 million visitors last year, this year's event drew more than 1 million cumulative visitors within just six days of opening.
With the addition of the Seoul Forest dock, the eastern route will operate along the Jamsil–Ttukseom–Seoul Forest–Oksu·Apgujeong–Yeouido section. The Oksu and Apgujeong docks will be served alternately on each trip, taking into account operational efficiency and safety.
The Seoul city government said it has completed precise depth surveys, removal of underwater floating objects, and docking and undocking drills around the docks and along the entire route. The route width has been widened from the previous 60 meters to 100 meters, the area around the docks from 72 meters to 300 meters, and the water depth secured at 2.5 meters.
The Hangang Bus's start and end operating times will each be pushed back by one hour so that passengers can enjoy the sunset over the Hangang River. The eastern line will operate from 11 a.m. until 9:28 p.m. based on arrival time, and the western line from 11:20 a.m. until 8:32 p.m. based on arrival time.
The Hangang Bus emerged as a major point of contention during the election, cited as Oh's signature project. Jeong Won-oh, the Democratic Party candidate, characterized the Hangang Bus and the "Garden of Gratitude" at Gwanghwamun Square as wasteful projects, saying he would cut the related budgets and use the funds for youth housing support. Oh, on the other hand, presented the Hangang Bus as a core project of "Attractive Seoul," emphasizing citizen satisfaction and rising ridership.
Ridership has indeed been steadily increasing. According to the Seoul city government, the Hangang Bus, which resumed full-route operations in March, recorded 91,126 monthly passengers in May. This represents an increase of about 19% from 76,488 in April and marks the highest monthly figure on record. The Seoul city government expects June ridership to rise further once the Seoul Forest dock begins operations.
