Han River Bus to expand night services from Saturday

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expanding Han River Bus night services starting Saturday.

The city announced Wednesday that two additional evening sailings will be added on the Jamsil–Yeouido route at 6:50 p.m. and 7:20 p.m., and on the Yeouido–Magok route at 8:25 p.m. and 8:55 p.m. The expansion aims to make it easier for residents and tourists — both domestic and international — to travel along the Han River and surrounding areas in the evening, boosting night tourism, leisure activities and spending at nearby commercial districts. Daytime services will also be expanded: the Magok–Yeouido route gains departures at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the Yeouido–Jamsil route at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The night service expansion reflects Mayor Oh Se-hoon's nighttime economy initiative, a centerpiece of his ninth-term agenda. In his inauguration speech on Aug. 1, Oh identified the nighttime economy as a new engine of growth for Seoul. "We will create 'nighttime economy co-prosperity zones' across Seoul — in Hongdae, Euljiro, Gangnam, Yeouido and beyond — so residents can enjoy richer evenings and local businesses can thrive," he said. "We will make Seoul's nights another reason for people from around the world to stay."

The expanded evening schedule also appears aimed at strengthening profitability by adding sailings during the after-work commute and driving more use of docking facilities. According to the Financial Supervisory Service's DART system, Han River Bus Co., the operator of the service, recorded a combined operating loss of 10.4 billion won ($7.35 million) for 2024 and last year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government views the losses as an expected outcome of the large upfront capital investment required to build vessels and construct docking infrastructure in the project's early phase, and projects the operator will turn a profit by 2029.

With the newly delivered vessels now assigned to the expanded night routes, the city has shelved its earlier plan to introduce express services. Seoul had originally announced it would launch an express route from April this year, deploying the additional vessels on the new line. The express service was designed to stop only at three major hub piers — Magok, Yeouido and Jamsil — in response to criticism that the Han River Bus was inadequate for commuters. While the regular route takes 127 minutes from Magok to Jamsil, the express would have cut that to 82 minutes. As vessel deliveries were delayed, however, the plan shifted toward expanding night sailings instead.

"We are grateful for the continued support and interest of passengers who have kept riding the Han River Bus even in the peak summer heat," said Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Han River Bureau. "We hope the expanded night services starting Saturday will let riders enjoy a side of the Han River that is entirely different from the daytime experience. We will continue to improve our service so that residents can use the Han River Bus more conveniently and enjoyably, with safety always our top priority."