Seocho 01 Village Bus Route Extended — Easier Access to Hagwon Districts in Jamwon and Banpo

Village bus Seocho 01 will extend its route to the riverside apartment area of Jamwon-dong starting with the first run Monday morning.

The change is expected to improve public transit access for residents in the Jamwon and Banpo areas.

Seocho-gu said it received final approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Government to restructure the route, which previously ran as a loop with Jamwon Station as both its starting and ending point. Under the revised plan, the bus will operate along a 6-kilometer route connecting Lotte Castle Apartment (starting point) to Raemian Sinbanpo Rio Cent Apartment (terminus).

The route change was driven by a sharp rise in new residents as large-scale reconstruction projects advanced across Jamwon and Banpo. Several apartment complexes — including Lotte Castle, Raemian Sinbanpo Rio Cent and Sinbanpo Le El — sit near Jamwon Han River Park, but all nearby city bus routes run exclusively toward Express Bus Terminal. That makes it impossible to reach Samho Garden Intersection — home to the Banpo hagwon district — without a transfer. The village bus had also been turning around at Jamwon Station, prompting repeated complaints from local residents.

Acting on resident requests filed since 2024, the district gathered public feedback and worked with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the bus operator to review overlapping stops and road conditions. After multiple trial runs, the city issued a favorable preliminary assessment in April, and the Seocho-gu Village Bus Route Adjustment Review Committee approved the revised plan as submitted. The effort culminated in final approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Government on May 28.

Two Seocho 01 buses completed vehicle inspections and other preparations ahead of the expanded service. Starting with the 6 a.m. first run Monday, they will operate from Lotte Castle Apartment (stop 22-178, starting point) → Sinbanpo Le El Apartment (stop 22-180) → existing intermediate stops → Sindong Middle School (stop 22-181) → Raemian Sinbanpo Rio Cent Apartment (stop 22-175, terminus). The route will grow from 4.6 kilometers to 6 kilometers, and the number of stops will increase from 13 to 17. First and last departures remain unchanged at 6 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Residents have welcomed the extension. A parent in their 40s living at Sinbanpo Le El said there had been no bus heading toward Samho Garden Intersection, where middle and high school hagwon are concentrated, forcing them to drive every time their children needed to be picked up. "Now there will finally be a direct route to the Banpo hagwon district without any transfers," the resident said. "It feels like a long-awaited wish has finally come true."

Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said the route extension resulted from recognizing the transportation needs created by rapid change in Jamwon and Banpo through reconstruction, and from persistently persuading the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the bus operator to act on residents' concerns. "We will continue to treat the guarantee of residents' right to mobility as the top priority of our transportation policy, and keep improving routes and service," he said.