Heading to Gwangju, But the Bus Says "Guangzhou Train Station"? Passengers Confused by Chinese-Made Bus

An electric city bus operating in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, drew attention when its front and rear electronic destination boards displayed "Guangzhou Train Station" as the final stop. Some have pointed out that this may be a mistake for Gwangju Station in Gyeonggi Province, while others suggest that the destination display system on the bus imported from China may not have been properly updated.

[Image source=BobaeDream Instagram capture]

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On January 23, a photo of a bus operating on the Suwon-Gwangju Station route in Gyeonggi Province was posted on a social networking service (SNS) account, sparking discussion. The bus's electronic display alternated between the Korean and English words for "Guangzhou Train Station" and "Guangzhou." The person who submitted the photo commented, "The Suwon city electric bus from China is displaying 'Guangzhou Train Station.'" Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province in China, located about 2,070 kilometers from Seoul.

Online commenters who saw the photo responded with disbelief, asking, "Is there now a direct bus to Guangzhou?" "Is this a transcontinental bus?" and "Do you need a passport to board this bus?" Since the bus actually operates on the Suwon-Gwangju Station route, some speculated that it was simply a mistake.

[Image source=Online community capture]

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However, based on previous incidents, it is highly likely that this occurred because the destination input on the Chinese-made bus was not properly updated. In 2021, a similar situation occurred in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, where the bus display also showed "Guangzhou Train Station." It was later revealed that the cause was a failure to properly update the LED destination board on a bus imported from China.

Regarding the recent incident, an official from the Transportation Planning Division of Seongnam City told Chosun.com on January 25, "Bus companies usually install electronic displays as an option, and it is possible that the maintenance was not done properly during this process," adding, "We do not know exactly what caused the error in this particular case."

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Automobile Mobility Association and other sources, 2,075 electric buses were registered in South Korea in 2022, of which 868, or about 42%, were made in China. From 2019 to 2022, Gyeonggi Province introduced 2,057 electric buses, and 1,074 of these were reportedly made in China.

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