Korean Job Discussion Forums

Zulethe · Joined: 04 Jul 2008

Ok, so after many near death experiences as well as road rage galore riding my citi 100, I decided to start taking the bus.

So I'm downtown waiting patiently for my bus to stop at the bus stop. The problem is that they don't stop at the bus stop.

One bus will pull up and stop at the curb with about 50 meters ahead (to the end of the bus stop lane). Instead of pulling up to let other buses stop at the stop, the bus will just sit there for up to five minutes.

This creates a three lane "bus stop" where your bus may stop in the first, second, or third lane of traffic.

This creates a number of problems.

First, you can't see the bus numbers of the buses that are in the second and third lanes.

Second, you have to run out into the middle of traffic, risking getting hit by a car, to see the bus numbers.

This past weekend, I almost got hit by a car while trying to catch my bus. The bus was in the third lane and apparently made its obligatory "stop" which I couldn't see.

I went up to the door of the bus, which was at a stop at the time, and the guy wouldn't open the door. I was so pissed that I kept following him another 100 meters and kept banging on the door until he finally opened the door.

I'm sure others have experienced this as well. And please don't talk about the traffic, I'm not in Seoul and it isn't that bad. If buses would use the entire length of the bus stop and not sit there idiling, there would not be a problem.

djswayde · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South Korea

Where exactly are you? I'm in Cheongju/Cheongwon and I find the bus system pretty efficient here.

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

I regularly take the bus at a very busy bus stop, something like 12 different routes go through there. It can get backed up, but I rarely see them stopping out of the bus lane. Occasionally if 4 buses are lined up and the first three pull away and the last one was tied up with passengers, other buses will go around him, but I've never seen one stop anymore than the next lane out. If you're taking a red bus (the express) remember you need to flag those down. They don't stop if it doesn't look like someone wants to take them, that is why they're express.

nomad-ish · Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:01 pm Post subject:

i take the buses in seoul regularly and i haven't had any major problems with them. it's best to flag them down, just in case. i find the buses will only stop in a lane out in traffic if there was no way for them to get to the curb.

Draz · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Location: Land of Morning Clam

Wait, they are stopping so they are in a row across the road? Not lined up behind the head bus in one lane? That's weird. I've taken buses all over Seoul and never seen that. Maybe it's because where you are the traffic ISN'T bad. I could see people rioting if the buses here were in the habit of blocking off all the lanes.

Have you tried watching the road so you can see your bus coming?