Incheon and Seoul will see the addition of three new Metropolitan Express Bus (M-bus) routes in the first half of this year. The City of Incheon announced that the M6461 bus, running from Soraepogu Station in Namdong-gu to Yeoksam Station in Seoul, began operation on the 24th. With this, the city expects that the metropolitan transport demand from Nonhyeon-dong in Namdong-gu to Seoul will be distributed between the existing M6410 route and the new M6461 route.
By the first half of the year, the city also plans to open the M6659 route (Geomdan Elementary School to Yeouido Complex Transfer Center) and the M6660 route (Geomdan Elementary School to Guro Digital Complex Station). Previously, the Metropolitan Transport Commission designated this area as a focused management zone for metropolitan transportation measures.
In addition, the city is in the process of selecting transportation companies for two new M-bus routes decided by the Metropolitan Transport Commission last December. The additional M-buses will operate on the routes from Yongjong Sky City to Yangjae Flower Market and from Songdo International City Zone 6 to Gangnam Station.
Meanwhile, since the implementation of the quasi-public bus system in Incheon last October, bus operation rates have significantly increased. The number of buses in operation, which was 179 at the introduction of the quasi-public system, has now increased to 244. Consequently, the operation rate (the ratio of operated buses to licensed buses) rose from 53% to 70.3%.
As a result, the average interval between buses during commuting hours has been reduced by 8 minutes, and the average daily number of passengers has increased by 21.7% (from 40,842 to 58,477, an increase of 10,435 passengers).
An official from the City of Incheon stated, “We aim to provide better transportation services to citizens commuting to Seoul by expanding the M-bus routes and effectively operating the quasi-public bus system.”