Free transfers to existing routes covering Wolgye, Gongneung and Junggye districts will improve inter-area mobility; the service already draws an average of 600 riders a day, cementing its place as a tangible transit welfare benefit for residents.
Seoul's Nowon-gu will extend its free community circulator, the "Nowon Haengbok Bus," to the Sangye-dong area starting June 16, district mayor Oh Seung-rok announced.
The Nowon Haengbok Bus is a publicly operated circular bus service that the district runs entirely free of charge for residents who have limited access to conventional public transit.
The new Route 2, finalized by a route review committee, will run between Junggye Station, Sangye Station and Bullamsan Station, covering 11.8 kilometers across 17 stops on a one-way circuit. Each trip takes approximately one hour and five minutes, with four 25-seat minibuses operating at 20-minute intervals.
Two transfer stops connecting Route 2 to the existing Route 1 will also be in service — one at the public parking lot behind Nowon Citizens' Hall and another at Eunhaeng Intersection across from the Junggye 1-dong Community Service Center. The district said the transfer links will make travel between areas smoother and strengthen connectivity across residential zones served by Route 1, which covers the Wolgye, Gongneung and Junggye districts.
Daily ridership on the Nowon Haengbok Bus currently averages around 600 passengers — nearly double the figure recorded when the service first launched. The district attributed the growth to the fully fare-free operation, which eases residents' financial burden during a period of high inflation, and to routes designed around the rhythms of everyday life.
The service has also drawn praise for enabling residents to reach a range of public facilities without any fare or transfer costs, improving both daily convenience and access to public amenities.
The bus is open free of charge to anyone visiting public facilities in Nowon-gu. People with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant women may board at no cost regardless of where they live. Full details, including stop locations, are available on the Nowon-gu district office website.
The district plans to hold an opening ceremony for Route 2 on June 18 at Suraksan Danggogae District Park, together with local residents. Officials said the expansion is expected to improve mobility and access to public services for residents who had previously been excluded from cultural and welfare benefits due to poor transit connections.
"The expanded Nowon Haengbok Bus service will allow more residents to use public facilities with greater ease," district mayor Oh said. "We will continue to look carefully for gaps in transit welfare and work to close them."
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