By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter

Metropolitan Seoul buses this year celebrate their 60th birthday. Buses in Seoul have been on a roller coaster, going thorough ups and downs in modern Korean history.

Beginning at the dawn of the 1950-53 Korean War, a new public transportation was devastated by the war. Along with the national building efforts, the bus industry in the 1960s-1970s enjoyed its utmost prosperity.

From the 1980s, buses were demoted as a second method of transportation due to the rise of subways has become known as more affordable and accessible.

Buses have equipped themselves with rider-friendly facilities. Since 1995, all buses had built-in air conditioning and heating systems. Fuel has changed to compressed natural gas (CNG), which makes less noise. Creation of bus-only lanes in the 1980s has reduced distress stemmed from traffic jams. From 1996, all bus riders could use passes.

In July 2004, the Seoul bus system underwent a major reformation. Totally, 420 bus routes were newly composed with a total of 7,967 buses. A new bus management system was adopted, allowing instant monitoring of all bus operations in Seoul. Transfer between buses and subways were permitted.

All these changes for a quality bus ride didn't intend to win a competition with the subway. Authorities in the city government know all so well that the fate of buses in Seoul isn't so bright.

Jang Il-jin from the bus policy division of the Seoul metropolitan government said it's inevitable that the bus system has been and will be continuously shrinking.

"Because the subway system in Seoul is very good, demand for bus will continue to decrease. We know that," Jang said.

The central government's "green growth" campaign has also encouraged people to ride bikes by creating more bike lanes, another contributing factor for the drop in bus riders, he said.

Downsizing is unavoidable, Jang said.

"Challenge now for us is to how to make 20,000 employees in the busy industry stay employed despite of downsizing."

No detailed plan on how to compensate the laid-off workers and to keep them afloat in the job market is at hand.

But, he said, the bus system will remain open no matter what happens economically, dismissing concerns that buses would not be in sight any more in Seoul.

"What we are trying to do is to provide services for Seoul residents," even though it's not making any profits. And the city government will continue to subsidies, as it has been, for the bus companies to make their ends meet.

Glimpse Into History of Buses in Seoul

Although this year marks the 60th anniversary of bus as public transportation in Seoul, that doesn't mean that it was 60 years ago when the first bus appeared in Seoul. The 60th birth year was based on a calculation that the city government gave permission to private companies 60 years ago to operate buses in Seoul.

On Aug. 16, 1949, the city government granted licenses to 157 mid- and 105 large-sized buses for operations.



Up To 1949

The first bus appeared in the streets of Seoul in 1928, run by a Japanese businessman. Ten black buses with the capacity of 20 riders each traveled from Seoul Station via Sungnyemun, Chosun Bank, Changdeok Palace, Pil-dong, etc.

Buses ran from six a.m. to 10 p.m. between April and October; and eight a.m. to seven p.m. between November and March. Due to deficit by the year of 1933, the Japanese businessman sold his license to a private company, according to "History of Buses in Korea," a publication by the Association of Korea Bus Transport Companies.

As Japan shored up its military power for expansion during the Second World War in the 1940s, much of the transportation was mobilized to deliver weapons and arms rather than carry customers. Japan even put a cap on the number of buses and routes to run in the streets as to effectively call up automobiles if necessary.

The first Korean government was established in 1948, and the bus system in Seoul had a new structure. The Seoul government was on the top of management, allowing private bus companies to join and compete with Gyeongseong Company, which had monopolized the market up to that point.



1950s

The Korean War appeared to devastate bus operations in Korea. The war broke out only 10 months after the new bus system was introduced. Military attacks destroyed nearly 67 percent of buses running nationwide. In Seoul, the number of buses fell from 1,002 to 736 between 1949 and 1951, according to the publication.

Ironically, however, in 1952, the number reached 1,309, surpassing the number in the year 1949.

One major factor was that the railroads were used as the main line of war supply, giving rise to buses as a way to go around. Another reason was that the war left many automobile components to be reassembled, and the United Nations donated many vehicles.

By the end of the 1950s, buses established their name as the primary public transportation in the city. The number of riders per month rose from 280,000 in 1956 to 400,000 in 1957.



1960s-70s

The bus industry in Seoul was in its glory in the 1960s.

Population nationwide grew dramatically. Economy wise, first and second national economic development plans resulted in the rise of GDP, which also led to the rise of automobile ownerships.

In 1961, the total number of automobiles in Korea was at 29,234, but grew to 129,371 in 1970, a 4.4-fold increase. Likewise, the number of buses in Seoul increased from 11,533 in 1960 to 60,422 in 1970.

Starting in 1967, the city government fully-owned bus management, expanding bus routes to remote areas. The government owned buses, and the drivers were also the employees of the government. But, it didn't last long due to financial loss.

In the 1970s, the city was still short on public transportation, and came up with the idea of a subway system. Construction began in 1971 and was completed on Aug. 15, 1974.



1980s to Present

The bus industry in Seoul has fell downward since the 1980s. Supply was way too great for demand, due in part to the subway and its expansion. Automobile ownership was another factor. The number of registered cars jumped from nearly 205,340 in 1980 to 2,254,009 in 1990.

Focus then has shifted towards making a bus ride a high-quality trip.

Bus-only lanes were designated. Bus stops were installed. Bus passes were invented.

As recent as 2004, a major reform in Seoul bus system enabled a transfer from subway trains to buses, and vice versa.

skim@koreatimes.co.kr