Hangang Bus that presented a new flow of urban transportation
"The roads are congested, but the river never gets blocked."
Afternoon of July 1, Han River Park near Yeouinaru Station in Seoul.
Despite the sweltering heat of 32 degrees Celsius, around 100 citizens gathered.
They came to experience the newly introduced 'Hangang Bus' by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
"I've never seen a bus like this before" - Scenes from the first day of Hangang Bus
This was the first day of the pilot operation,
and it took 40 minutes from Yeouido to Ttukseom,
and about 10 minutes from Ttukseom to Jamsil.
The route includes a total of seven docks: Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Oksu, Apgujeong, Ttukseom, and Jamsil.
As the bus departed from the dock,
citizens took photos or enjoyed the view outside the panoramic windows,
with the Han River scenery in the background.
No congestion, wide-open views, how did citizens react?
Lee Jihoo, an 11-year-old from Uijeongbu,
said, "I like that it doesn't stop because it runs on the Han River."
The more smoothly the Hangang Bus ran, the more positive the passengers' reactions were.
Choi Inhyeon (34), a newlywed,
said, "There are no cars blocking the way like in the city, so it's convenient,"
and expressed willingness to use it for commuting as well.
However, his wife Kim Kyungmi (38), who accompanied him,
commented, "Once regular operations begin, there will be more people,
so it would be nice to have dedicated seats for pregnant women."
"It's hot and even noisy..." Some inconveniences of the Hangang Bus
However, there were also some drawbacks.
The temperature that day was 32 degrees Celsius.
Although several air conditioners were running,
the cabin was not cool.
Passengers fanned themselves with brochures,
or stood directly under the air conditioners to cool off.
During the nearly hour-long ride,
passengers said they were sweating inside the cabin.
On top of that, there was noise and vibration.
The Hangang Bus uses a hybrid system,
using batteries at departure and a diesel generator while running.
Every time the power source switched, an announcement said, "Switching to generator mode,"
and a humming noise and vibration could be felt from the middle and rear of the vessel.
Some passengers said they had to raise their voices to have a conversation.
In response to concerns about cooling and noise, Seoul City "will make improvements"
Citizens are waiting inside the Hangang Bus Yeouido Dock for an experiential ride. Photo by Kim Youngwon
원본보기 아이콘An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Hangang Headquarters
explained, "Currently, the air conditioning system is structurally inefficient,"
"and we plan to make improvements based on citizen feedback."
Regarding the noise issue,
the official said, "Raising the height of the vessel would reduce noise, but there are restrictions due to the Jamsu Bridge."
Instead, they are partially addressing the noise by installing sound-absorbing materials.
It is attracting attention whether it can become a part of daily life.
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Reporter Kim Youngwon forever@asiae.co.kr
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Edit Hur Eunmi eungmimon@asiae.co.kr
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