Busan maritime tourism taxi conducts trial runs on Suyeong River route

Busan city conducted two trial runs of its "Busan maritime tourism taxi" Wednesday — at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. — ahead of the service's full commercial launch, as part of efforts to boost maritime tourism and introduce a new mode of water transport.

The trial runs were organized to let participants experience the route connecting the city's key maritime tourism hubs in the Suyeongman area — Suyeong River, Gwangalli and Haeundae — and to inform residents and tourists about the project's progress and future operating plans.

The service, planned around six eco-friendly vessels with a capacity of up to 50 passengers and three boarding points, follows a course departing from Suyeong River at the APEC Naru Park boarding point, stopping in turn at Gwangalli and Haeundae, and returning to Suyeong River — with each leg taking 15 minutes for a total journey of 45 minutes.

The route offers sweeping views of Busan's signature coastal scenery, including Gwangalli and Haeundae, from the water, and is expected to draw strong interest as both a new transport option and a tourism attraction by allowing passengers to bypass the heavy traffic that regularly congests the Haeundae and Gwangalli areas.

Busan city plans to invest a total of 1.4 billion won ($1.04 million) to build infrastructure at three boarding points — one main facility at Suyeong River and two auxiliary ones at Gwangalli and Haeundae — with completion targeted for the second half of next year. Detailed design work is currently underway. Private operator Yottallae Co. will build six eco-friendly vessels with a capacity of up to 50 passengers and plans to secure them in stages by January 2028. The city and the operator intend to deploy the first completed vessels as soon as the infrastructure is ready in the second half of next year, launching full commercial operations at that point.

"We expect the Busan maritime tourism taxi to elevate the city's appeal as a destination by serving as both a new mode of transport and a tourism attraction," Na Yun-bin, the city's director general of tourism content industries, said. "We will incorporate feedback from today's trial run to ensure that residents can use the service safely and conveniently when full operations begin."