mail
Types of City Bus
There are two main types of city buses that run in Incheon: General Buses, and Express Buses. The Express Buses are referred to as 'Jwaseok (seat)' in Korean, and are more comfortable than general buses. General Buses are referred to as 'Ilban (bus)’ in Korean. All buses are numbered according to their route. As destinations are written in Korean, English and Chinese, you should be able to find the bus that you need without too many difficulties.
Ask the front desk clerk at your hotel where the bus stops are and which bus number you should take. There is one more type of bus that runs in Incheon, which is called a 'Maeul Bus' in Korean. These are neighborhood shuttle buses. They are usually run on short-distance routes in residential areas that lack access to convenient transportation like subway or buses. These buses are smaller, and have a lower fare than the normal buses.
Transportation Card
You can pay bus fare with cash or with a transportation card. The Transportation Card is a pay-per-ride card that gives you a 2% fare discount, and can also be used to pay subway fare. 10,000, and 20,000 won bus cards are sold, and can be recharged at kiosks or newsstands near bus stops. A 1,500 won deposit is required to purchase a Transportation Card, which is refunded when you return the card.
When the passenger gets on the bus, he or she will need to hold the transportation card over the card reader located beside the bus driver to pay the bus fare. The card reader then displays how much money is left in the card for a prepaid card, or how much you have spent for a post-paid card. If a rider wants to pay fare for more than one person, the rider must tell the driver how many people he or she wishes to pay for, and then place the card on the card reader as many times as the number of the people.
