Hangang Bus tops 800,000 passengers, cuts winter trips to 32 per day

Cumulative ridership on the Hangang Bus, Seoul’s ferry service on the Han River, has surpassed 800,000, and the city will reduce daily trips and simplify the timetable for the winter season, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday. As of Oct. 31, the service had carried 802,117 passengers, a rise the city attributed to added trips and expanded night operations. From Dec. 1 last year through Feb. 28, the number of daily trips will drop from 40 to 32, as earlier sunsets allow passengers to see the river’s night views earlier in the evening. The eastern route will run from 11 a.m. to 9:04 p.m., instead of 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., while the western route will operate from 11:22 a.m. to 8:42 p.m., instead of 11:20 a.m. to 9:39 p.m. Intervals between boats, which had ranged from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, will be standardized at one hour, and the transfer wait between the eastern and western routes will be fixed at 18 minutes. Seoul Forest Pier will be added to the regular route, and boats will stop at both Oksu and Apgujeong piers rather than alternating between them. The city also plans