Han River Bus Trial Operation Begins Amid 'Noise' Complaints... "Noise Improvement Under Review"

City Councilor: "It's Difficult Even to Have a Conversation at the Rear of the Boat"
Future Hangang Headquarters: "No Relevant Regulations, but Countermeasures Under Review"

Seoul's Hangang Bus Lines 1 and 2, scheduled for official operation in the first half of this year, have begun trial runs, but concerns have been raised about excessive noise during boarding. There were also criticisms that the pilot license had not been issued until the trial runs began, but the city stated that the license is expected to be issued soon.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 12th, Seoul City Councilor Lee Young-sil (Democratic Party) pointed out these issues during the plenary session on the 7th. Councilor Lee said, "The generator engine noise at the rear of the boat was so loud that conversation was difficult, and the chair handles on the left rear and back vibrated due to the shaking," adding, "Normal ambient noise is below 65 dB (decibels) according to indoor loudspeaker standards, but measurements inside the rear of the Hangang Bus showed noise levels fluctuating above 76 dB, reaching up to 85 dB." He emphasized, "It is difficult to even have a conversation with the person next to you, let alone enjoy the tranquility of the Hangang."

On the 27th of last month, the 'Hangang Bus' Lines 1 and 2 arrived at Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Seoul City

The Hangang Bus uses a 'hybrid system' powered by lithium-ion batteries and a diesel generator. The battery is the main power source during docking and departure, while the diesel generator takes over during navigation. The generator is located at the rear of the boat, and it causes noise when running after departure.

At the recent Audit and Inspection Committee meeting, it was also highlighted that the Hangang Bus has not yet obtained the pilot license required for operation. In the review report on the 'Consent for Amendment of the Hangang Bus Operation Business Agreement' submitted by the Seoul City to the council last month, the senior specialist wrote, "The Future Hangang Headquarters plans to dock two Hangang Buses at the end of February and conduct trial runs, but it has not yet completed the necessary preliminary procedures such as obtaining the pilot license for operation. This is problematic," adding, "Since the city promoted the Hangang Water Taxi as a key project in 2007 but ended its operation due to low usage, it is necessary to make every effort to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

The Future Hangang Headquarters explained that the pilot license is expected to be issued soon. A representative said, "We have been preparing and supplementing the related documents continuously and are almost finished with the paperwork," adding, "The pilot license will be issued shortly."

Regarding the noise issue, although there are no specific regulations, they are considering measures to improve user convenience. The representative added, "Our own measurements show noise levels of about 60 dB at the front of the vessel and high 70s dB at the rear," and "There are no passenger room noise standards, but we are reviewing immediately applicable measures such as installing sound-absorbing materials in the generator room to reduce noise."

The city plans to begin official operations with eight Hangang Buses expected to complete construction by the first half of this year. The remaining four buses will be introduced sequentially as their construction is completed.

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