Seoul’s Han River Bus Surges: 84% Increase in Passengers This April!

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City data show 23,443 people took the Han River bus over the five-day Children’s Day holiday, a surge city officials attributed to warmer weather and festivals across Seoul drawing more people outdoors.

According to the Seoul metropolitan government, the service averaged roughly 4,689 passengers a day from the 1st through the 5th of this month—about an 84% rise from April’s daily average of 2,550.

On the 1st, 5,584 riders boarded—the highest single-day total since operations began. Ridership was also strong on the 2nd (5,237) and the 5th (5,423). Seoul officials said the springtime demand for river outings likely fueled the increase.

Ridership has climbed steadily since the service resumed full-route operations in March. March saw 62,491 riders and April recorded 76,488. Roughly 23,000 additional passengers used the service over the holiday, pushing the cumulative total since the March restart past 162,422. Since the service officially launched in September last year, total ridership stands at 267,357.

Seoul plans to keep improving passenger amenities. The city has added viewing shelters around the Mangwon and Ttukseom piers, and this month it will designate six riverside piers (Yeouido, Ttukseom, Jamsil, Apgujeong, Oksu, Magok) as “riverside hub zones,” creating river-view gardens and installing outdoor seating and bar tables.

Along the route linking Ttukseom Pier to Seoul Forest, which connects to the ongoing Seoul International Garden Expo, officials have already completed a flower garden and a river-view garden.

Park Jin-young, head of Seoul’s Future Han River Headquarters, said, “We will continue to enhance convenience and service quality so residents can use the Han River bus more safely and comfortably.”