Gyeonggi Province Adds Five Seat-Reservation Routes to 'PyeonhaG Bus'; Service Starts Oct. 8

Connecting Pyeongtaek, Yangju, Hwaseong, and Uiwang with Seoul, Pangyo, and Bundang
44-seat buses also to be deployed... Province to accept residents' route proposals year-round

Gyeonggi Province announced on October 7 that five new routes for the Gyeonggi PyeonhaG Bus, which allows passengers to reserve seats for commuting hours, will begin operating on October 8. The launch comes about three months after Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae announced plans to introduce the routes in July.

PyeonhaG Bus. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province.

The Gyeonggi PyeonhaG Bus is a Gyeonggi Province-operated reservation-based bus service connecting the province with major destinations in Seoul during commuting hours. The new routes will connect Pyeongtaek, Yangju, Hwaseong, and Uiwang with major destinations in Seoul, Pangyo, and Bundang.

The new routes are: ▲Pyeongtaek route P8101, Yeonhwa Elementary School to Seoul National University of Education Station; ▲Yangju route P9604, Benest House to the area in front of Techno Mart and Gangbyeon Station; ▲Hwaseong route P9303, Hoban Summit Dongtan to Pangyo 2nd Techno Valley; ▲Hwaseong route P9304, Jungoe Pharmaceutical Intersection to Pangyo 2nd Techno Valley; and ▲Uiwang route P9902, Forest Village Complexes 3 and 5 to Seohyeon Station and Bundang Post Office.

The province selected the new routes based on proposals submitted by residents through the Gyeonggi Preparation Committee, the transition committee for the provincial governor's office, in July. Based on residents' proposed departure points, destinations, and preferred travel times, the province reviewed transportation demand, the level of existing public transit service, and operational feasibility in consultation with the relevant cities and counties. It focused on connecting areas with inconvenient public transit access during commuting hours to major business districts.

The existing Gyeonggi Premium Bus service will be renamed the Gyeonggi PyeonhaG Bus. The vehicles' exterior color scheme will also change from predominantly gold to shades of purple.

Passengers will also have a wider choice of vehicles. The service has primarily used 28-seat premium-class vehicles, but 44-seat standard buses may also be deployed in the future, depending on local demand and route characteristics. Cities and counties will select vehicles based on ridership demand and operating conditions. The province said deploying 44-seat vehicles on routes with high ridership would allow them to carry more passengers without increasing the number of trips.

The province plans to set up a Gyeonggi PyeonhaG Bus Resident Proposal Board on the Open Governor's Office website to accept proposals for additional routes on an ongoing basis. Residents can suggest departure points, destinations, and preferred travel times for routes they need. The proposals will be used to identify new routes after transportation demand and operational feasibility are reviewed.

Yoon Taewan, director general of transportation for Gyeonggi Province, said, "Starting with the launch of these new routes, we will continue to expand commuting transportation services that residents can feel the benefits of." He added, "Through the resident proposal system, we will gain a more detailed understanding of the transportation needs of each area and incorporate them into new routes."

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