Seoul's water-bus service that runs along the Han River will commence in the first half of the year, announced the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday. Ahead of the official launch, the trial run of the buses is currently underway in the city. Two Han River buses departed from Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province on February 24 and arrived near Yeouido on February 27, completing a three-day test voyage through the South Sea and the West Sea. The extensive testing will continue until their official launch in the first half of the year.
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Built from an aluminum alloy, these river buses are eco-friendly automobiles. The local administration claims the buses are lighter than steel, consume less fuel and are even recyclable. The water ferries are powered by diesel generators and lithium-ion batteries. Their carbon dioxide emission is 52% lower than conventional diesel-powered ships. To further avoid battery fires, the ships are outfitted with safety gear and fire monitoring sensors.
The river buses are to be parked at six docks in the capital: Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Ttukseom, and Jamsil. The Oksu dock's development is expected to be finished in March.
"This is the beginning of the era of Korea's first eco-friendly water public transportation," said Park Jin-young, head of the city government's Future Han River Headquarters.
He added, "The city will carry out effective pilot operations before the official launch to ensure that people can use the Han River buses, the first large-scale water public transportation system, more safely and comfortably."
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Once they start operating, the city intends to run the river buses 68 times from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays and 48 times from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekends and public holidays. During rush hour on weekdays, the buses will operate every 15 minutes. During other hours and on weekends and public holidays, they will operate every 30 minutes.
One water-bus can accommodate up to 199 passengers and each trip will cost up to 3,000 won (nearly Rs 181).
