- City reorganizes Circular 43 and 46 bus routes, creates new Circular 47 bus, while closing down the Circular 44 bus -

- Incheon analyses bus usage patterns to reshuffle its routes... Update expected to make the City’s public transportation system more convenient to use -

With Incheon deciding to reorganize its intra-city bus system in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, the updates are expected to make the City’s public transportation much more convenient to use.

Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) has looked at grievances filed by local users pertaining to overcrowded buses to and from new apartment complexes during rush hour and insufficient buses to local schools. The revised intra-city bus system (Circular 41~43, Circular 46~47 routes reorganized) will apply as of April 29.

Based on results from analyzing mobile communication data and I-MOD (Incheon’s on-demand bus service) traffic over the past year for the intra-city circular bus route, the City divided its districts east and west to reorganize its bus routes. Here, it used the Korea Coast Guard office, which turned out to be the most frequently used destination for local residents, as a central axis.

Incheon added one more bus to its Circular 41 and Circular 42 buses each, bringing the total to nine buses for each route. The Circular 43 (five buses) and Circular 46 (six buses) lines will get slight updates to their routes. The City will also introduce a brand new line - Circular 47 (three buses) - and closed down an existing line - Circular 44. Neighborhoods previously serviced by the Circular 44 bus (zones 5, 10) will be added to the Circular 43 bus.

The Circular 41 (branch line) bus mostly covers the larger apartment compounds in Songdo 1-dong (zones 2, 4) and Songdo 3-dong (zones 5, 7). But unlike before, the route now extends out to Yeonsong High School. Dispatch intervals for the Circular 41 line will also go from 18~24 minutes to 16~22 minutes.

The Circular 42 line will service apartment complexes in Songdo 4-dong (zones 3, 6) and Songdo 5-dong (zone 8). The route runs all the way to Shinsong High School, Campus Town Station, and the Global Campus. Dispatch intervals for the Circular 42 line will go from 23~28 minutes to 17~23 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Circular 43 line transports passengers to and from apartments in Songdo 4-dong (zone 6), the Techno Park Station (hub station), the International Business District Station, private tutors and academies in Songdo 2-dong, and Yeonsong High School, as well as parts of Songdo 3-dong, which had previously been serviced by the now abolished Circular 44 line (zones 5, 10).

The Circular 46 line will replace intra-city bus no. 98, and pass through parts of Songdo 2-dong (zone 1) and Songdo 4-dong (zone 3) that used to belong to the Circular 41 line. Moreover, Incheon plans to reorganize its intra-city bus no. 525 to no. 55.

The new Circular 47 line will serve as an intra-city bus connecting apartment complexes in Songdo 1-dong (zone 4) and Songdo 5-dong (zone 8) with Incheon Subway Line no. 1, private tutors and academies in Songdo 2-dong, Yeonsong High School, and Art Center Incheon.

For more details on the reorganized City bus routes in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, please call the 120 Michuhol Call Center or visit Incheon's bus website (https://bus.incheon.go.kr).

Cho Yeong-ki, Head of Incheon’s Bus Policy Department, said, “Passengers may have to transfer at different parts of the City given that we have reorganized our bus routes and intervals. But we are introducing these changes based on our analysis of traffic movements and trends involving specifically buses, which is why we expect our new routes to make the public transportation system much easier to use.” Cho added, “We plan to do our best to address some of the more prominent inconveniences in our public transportation system with new routes and by continuously monitoring traffic needs.”