"Why Can't I Get On?" Commuters Face Daily 'War' for Metropolitan Buses

[Anchor]

Office workers commuting between the Seoul metropolitan area and the capital are engaged in a daily "war" to board metropolitan buses every morning and evening. The number of bus seats is far insufficient compared to the number of people trying to board. Some commuters even travel to previous stops just to ensure they can get a seat and avoid being late.

Reporter Jeong Ji-yeon reports from the scene.

[Reporter]

At 6:00 p.m., a long line stretches at a metropolitan bus stop in Myeong-dong, Seoul.

Every time the number indicating remaining seats drops, the hearts of commuters sink.

[Commuter: That one just passed, and with zero seats left, I can't get on. I have to wait for the next one.]

Since standing is prohibited on metropolitan buses that cross city and provincial boundaries, passengers often find themselves waiting for the next bus, and even the one after that.

[Lim Yoon-mi / Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province: During rush hour, I almost always have to let two buses pass by... It's like that almost every day between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.]

Fearing they might be late, commuters are even more anxious during their morning commute, with long lines forming at stops as early as 6:30 a.m. on weekdays.

Some even travel to earlier stops to secure a seat.

[Lee Yu-min / Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province: (What time do you have to be at work?) 9:00 a.m., but I think I'll be a little late today. (Metropolitan buses) really need to be increased. I don't know if they expect us to just wait, and I have no idea when the GTX will finally open.]

This is a metropolitan bus stop in Dongtan New Town, Gyeonggi Province, heading to Seoul.

It is now just past 8:00 a.m.

People are still lined up waiting to commute to Seoul.

This commuting war occurs because while many people work in Seoul, there is a shortage of metropolitan buses and alternative transportation options.

The Great Train eXpress (GTX), a proposed solution to this problem, is facing continuous construction delays across significant sections.

In fact, seven out of ten metropolitan buses traveling between Yongin or Suwon and downtown Seoul are completely full during weekday morning rush hours.

[Lee Chul-ki / Professor of Transportation Systems Engineering at Ajou University: Cities with a high dependency on metropolitan buses, such as Yongin, Suwon, and Hwaseong, are areas where commuting populations are concentrated in regions not yet reached by the GTX. Since there are no real alternatives...]

While there is a flood of complaints demanding a significant increase in metropolitan buses during rush hours, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is reluctant, citing the saturation of downtown bus-only lanes.

With no clear solution other than the opening of the GTX, the exhausting commute for office workers living in the metropolitan area is bound to continue for some time.

(Reported by Lee Sang-hak | Video by Kim Jong-tae | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.