Subway and Bus, Seoul - Brief Snapshot

The subway system in Seoul can definitely be recognised as one of the world’s best in terms of speed, coverage, connectivity and when you couple it with the on road bus system, the combination is fantastic.

The Seoul subway system like many other countries is numbered. This means that each end-to-end line has a number and colour code attached to it and the combination is followed in any station and train of that particular line. The stations on a particular line have not only their names but have also been allocated a distinct 3-digit number with the starting digit reflecting the Line number. There are junction stations where you could transfer from one line to another. Before arrival at a station, announcements are done in Korean and English that include even the direction of the platform. Some trains have displays inside them. Some newer stations have displays where you can even make out pictorially when a train is approaching.

The trains are extremely neat and clean except perhaps on rainy or snowy days where a bit of dirt does accumulate on the floor space but nothing too hard to digest. The frequency is good and schedules are all available on display at the stations. The schedule charts are in Korean but if you are enterprising you could make out what’s happening. If you still have a problem don’t bother too much. The frequency is quite good. The station names are available in English and Korean except on the electronic Display boards in the platform that talk about arriving trains and destination. You don’t really need to bother since the announcements are in English too.

The stations are well connected with the city overhead with stairs, escalators and elevators. For the handicapped, some stations have an automatic transportation system while for the blind the paths are marked out.

The subway systems connectivity maps are available in most stations and you could ask for English versions at the local station. For ticket denominations to a destination, you could have a look at the chart displayed in all stations or you could ask at the counter and pay the requisite amount. Once you are familiar, you could buy your own tickets with Notes or Coins even from the automatic vending machines. The balance is returned to you by twisting a knob on the machine!!

When you take directions from people, not only would you ask the station but also the Exit No leading you out from the station. If you take the wrong exit you may land up in a totally senseless direction!!

The Bus system in Seoul is another fantastic example of transportation and once you are familiar with it, I can tell you that you would find it a preferable mode of traveling in the city. Most foreigners in Seoul hardly use the bus system and still definitely find the subways easier, I, and a few friends I know, use both in an extremely optimal manner. There are “Six” Types of buses (the sites talk about 3) in Seoul. The Red, Blue, Green – Two Types, Yellow and the CNG types.

The Reds (4 digit numbers mostly starting with 9) are long distance Intra-City buses and I use them very rarely since over a longer distance, trains are better. The Blues (3 digit numbers) have routes that touch upon a specific series of subway stations from one area of the city to another. The Green (4 digit numbers) buses have routes similar to the Blues but they seem to touch even interior parts of the cities where there may not be stations. The other Greens (2 Digit numbers like 01 or 02, etc) are purely local buses that feed typically a locality around a station. The Yellows (2 digit numbers) are circular routes touching upon a series of subway stations or important locales in the city. The bus web site is very good and you can easily define your route either by bus or combination with a subway and go about with your journey. The CNG buses are the ones that I have no clue of.

I have my own reasons for using the bus. For one, I don’t have to travel up and down the stairs and escalators of the subway stations. I get on at a stop and get off at a stop very near to my origin and destination points.

The other interesting concept is the transportation card available at stations, Family Marts, Grocery Stores, GS Stores and anybody having the T-Money symbol. These cards are available at a cost of 2500 WON (about 2,5 USD) and then you "fill" the card with money say 5000 won or 10000 Won or as much as you want. You then you get a 100 Won discount on your tickets along with the convenience of using a Card instead of churing out currency every time. You would have recovered the cost of this card after completion of the 25th journey (I did not have to use my head for that one).


The other interesting part when you have this card is that you could seamlessly transfer from one mode of transport to another. The computer system tracks the time intervals between transfers and you have to do the next transfer within 30 minutes of the preceding one. The combinations are as follows:

a) Bus To Bus...n number of times....after a period/distance they will charge you on an incremental basis.
b) Bus to Subway....no problem.
c) Subway to Bus ...same as above
d) Subway to Subway Line Change internally (in same station you are anyway not required to use a card)
e) If you come out of a subway station and then re-enter...the continuity is lost!!!

So theoretically a bus-subway-bus-bus-subway-bus-bus-bus...is a perfect example of continuity (remember the 30 minutes in between). If the above confuses you further, you are welcome to ask me questions on this.

So that’s that. I would seriously ask you guys to try out the buses and you would find it a good idea. The others can continue with the trains!!

The websites for your reference:

Subway Guide:

http://www.smrt.co.kr/english_smrt/cyberstation_smrt/cyberstation.jsp

Seoul Bus Guide:

http://bus.congnamul.com/SeoulRouteWebApp/view_english/map.jsp Sphere: Related Content