Uijeongbu City Opens Howon District Student Commuter Bus, Easing Long Commutes for Students

Mayor Kim Wonki Launches Howon Student Commuter Bus Service
Four Buses to Operate from the 11th, Easing Long Commutes
Connecting Howon, Jangam, and Uijeongbu 2-dong to Western High Schools
Eight Daily Runs Expected to Reduce Commute Times by Over 20 Minutes

Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Wonki), has expanded the coverage of its student commuter bus service to the Howon area in order to address the issue of long commutes for students in Howon and Jangam districts.

Kim Wonki, Mayor of Uijeongbu, is taking a commemorative photo with attendees at the opening ceremony of the 'Uijeongbu Student Shuttle Bus' Howon Zone route held on the 10th at Uijeongbu Gwangdong High School. Provided by Uijeongbu City

The city announced that on the 10th, it held an opening ceremony for the 'Uijeongbu Student Commuter Bus' Howon Zone route at Uijeongbu Gwangdong High School, attended by more than 150 people, including students, parents, and education and transportation officials. The city added that full-scale operations will begin on the 11th.

The launch of this new route is designed to alleviate the commuting inconveniences faced by students in the Howon and Jangam areas, and to create a safer and more convenient commute environment.

Previously, students in these areas relied on some city bus routes to commute to high schools located in Ganeung-dong and Nokyang-dong, experiencing inconvenience due to infrequent bus intervals.

Uijeongbu City used a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze students’ residential addresses and school locations, designing the route to focus on areas with the highest demand. As a result, it is expected that students’ commuting times will be reduced by more than 10 minutes each way, totaling at least 20 minutes per day.

The Howon District student commuter bus service will operate four 40-seat buses, running two routes in the morning and one in the afternoon. There will be a total of eight daily trips—four in the morning and four in the afternoon—connecting parts of Howon 1-dong, Howon 2-dong, Jangam-dong, and Uijeongbu 2-dong with high schools located in Ganeung-dong and Nokyang-dong. The route will also stop at Howon High School and Sangwoo High School, and will operate only on weekdays, with no service on public holidays or during school vacations.

Uijeongbu City first introduced the student commuter bus in August 2024 in the Minlak and Gosan districts. Average daily ridership increased by 115%, from 173 in the early days of operation to 372 riders between March and May this year. Reflecting these operational results and growing demand from students and parents to expand the routes, the city extended the service to the Howon area.

The opening ceremony included a report on project progress, congratulatory speeches, a student representative’s remarks, a certificate of appreciation presentation, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a commemorative photo session. Attendees shared their commitment to creating a safe commuting environment for students.

Kim Wonki, Mayor of Uijeongbu, is taking a commemorative photo with attendees at the opening ceremony of the 'Uijeongbu Student School Bus' Howon Area route held at Uijeongbu Gwangdong High School on the 10th. Provided by Uijeongbu City

Kim Wonki, Mayor of Uijeongbu, said, "This new route will help reduce students’ commute times and ease congestion on city buses during morning hours," adding, "Even after service begins, we will closely monitor the opinions and usage patterns of students to further improve safety and punctuality."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.