Slurping at Every Red Light... Village Bus Driver Eating Cup Ramen

"Is It So Harsh There's No Time to Eat?" Controversy
Bus Drivers Face Tougher Workload Amid Labor Shortage

A village bus driver was caught hurriedly eating cup noodles while waiting at a traffic signal in the driver's seat, sparking controversy.

On the 8th, a post titled "Village Bus Driver Eating Ramen While Waiting at a Signal" was uploaded to an online community.

The person who posted the message, Mr. A, said, "It is currently 11:30 PM. I heard a 'huff~ slurp' sound inside the bus and looked around to see that it was the village bus driver." He explained, "The driver took a bite each time the signal stopped, checked if the signal changed, and when the signal turned green, he put the food down and repeated the action at the next signal."
[Photo by Online Community 'BobaeDream']

The poster, Mr. A, said, "The current time is 11:30 PM. I heard 'huff~ slurp' sounds inside the bus and looked around to find it was the village bus driver," adding, "The driver took a bite each time the signal stopped and checked if the signal changed, and when the signal turned green, he put the noodles down and repeated eating at the next signal."

According to Mr. A, a village bus driver in Gyeonggi-do was eating ramen in the driver's seat during signal waits. Mr. A revealed that the place he boarded was the stop right after the turnaround point and claimed, "It seems he brought the ramen from the rest area."

He continued, "Is the treatment of village buses this poor? It makes me feel bad. Please improve the working conditions so that bus drivers can eat comfortably."

However, netizens' reactions to the story were divided.

Some sympathized with the bus driver, saying, "It must be heartbreaking for his family to see this," and "It's pitiful that he doesn't even have time to eat." Among them, a netizen who revealed they used to drive a village bus expressed empathy, saying, "I remember ordering kimbap and eating it while driving with passengers on board."

On the other hand, some pointed out that eating while driving itself is dangerous. One netizen said, "I can understand eating bread or kimbap to stave off hunger, but do you really have to eat cup noodles with hot soup and chopsticks while driving with passengers on board?" "Was it necessary to do something so risky while driving?" "I understand it's tough, but you could put others in danger," criticizing the dangerous behavior.

Village Bus Drivers Drop from 3,000s to 2,000s in Five Years

Village buses, known as the capillaries of public transportation, which navigate rough roads and alleys where subways or city buses cannot reach, are suffering from various difficulties. The finances of major transportation companies have deteriorated due to frozen public transportation fares and rising fuel costs, and bus drivers are leaving one after another, citing poor working conditions. As a result, the voices of passengers complaining about the inconvenience are also growing louder.
[Photo by Asia Economy]

Village buses, called the capillaries of public transportation as they navigate rough roads and alleys where subways or city buses cannot go, are suffering from various difficulties. Due to frozen public transportation fares and rising fuel costs, the finances of major transportation companies have worsened, and bus drivers are leaving one after another citing poor working conditions. Consequently, passengers' complaints are also growing louder.

According to Seoul City, the number of village bus drivers in the area decreased by 26.9% (740 drivers), from 3,496 in 2019 to 2,756 last year.

Starting from 3,291 drivers in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading, the number has decreased by hundreds each year. Meanwhile, the number of routes increased slightly from 249 to 250, and the number of vehicles rose from 1,634 to 1,662 during the same period.

Transportation company officials cite poor treatment as the fundamental cause of the recruitment difficulties. According to the village bus wage collective agreement, the average monthly wage for Seoul drivers last year was 2.92 million KRW, not even reaching 3 million KRW.

Moreover, as transportation companies struggle with recruitment, the work intensity has increased. Especially for village bus drivers, despite working six days a week, unlike city bus drivers, there are no overtime allowances. Since the monthly salary is under 3 million KRW, the village bus industry is notorious for its harsh labor intensity.

An official from a transportation company said, "If it weren't so tough, people wouldn't say it's hard to last three years driving a village bus," adding, "I hope they at least get treated according to the work they do."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.