• On September 18, 2026, Hangang Bus marks its first anniversary of operation. The cumulative number of passengers is 603,293. Just six months after the service resumed, a whopping 498,795 passengers enjoyed the ride.
• 97.3% satisfaction rate and 32.2% willingness to reuse the service. In July, on-time performance reached 99.3% thanks to accumulated operational experience.
• Learning from past mistakes and errors, the safety and operational system was improved. Since service resumed on all routes, operations have been stable.
• Hangang Bus represents Seoul’s unique water transportation, combining mobility with the experience of the natural environment along the Hangang River. On September 17, a forum on the future vision of the Hangang Bus service will take place.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, September 18, 2026 – On September 18 (Fri), 2026, Hangang Bus, Korea’s first waterborne public transportation service on the Hangang River, marks its first anniversary. Over the past year, Hangang Bus has carried more than 600,000 passengers cumulatively. Since resuming service on all routes in March this year, passenger numbers have steadily risen. On top of this, service indicators, including customer satisfaction, willingness to use the service again, and on-time performance, are on a stable trajectory, demonstrating the potential of waterborne transportation in the city of Seoul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government sees the first year as a period to demonstrate and prove the potential of Hangang Bus, and it will now work to further upgrade the service in terms of safety, on-time performance, and overall quality. This effort aims to ensure Hangang Bus is not a one-off experience, but a daily transportation option for citizens. The SMG also envisions developing Hangang Bus as a highly specialized, distinctive means of water transportation that can only be experienced in the city by combining its mobility function with the Hangang River’s beautiful scenery, waterfront spaces, and nearby tourism resources.

<Over 600,000 passengers in total, with 496,000 passengers aboard after the service resumed…. 97.3% Satisfaction rate>

The SMG announced that the Hangang Bus, which officially began operations on September 18, 2025, had carried a cumulative total of 603,293 passengers as of September 14, 2026.

Of those passengers, 498,795 used the service from March 1 to September 14 this year, when the service was reorganized for safety and operational systems and resumed full-route service. This means that about 83% of all passengers have used the Hangang Bus since the service resumption. In August this year, a surprising 89,246 passengers used the service, showing steady demand from citizens for this new type of water transportation.

<Passenger numbers are growing while willingness to reuse and recommend the service is high, resulting from the efforts to enhance stability and reliability of the service>

Passengers have given positive feedback to the service. According to a survey of 3,569 passengers from June 29 to July 5, 97.3% of respondents, or 3,472, said they were overall content with the service. 3,325 respondents, or 93.2%, said that they are willing to use the service again. Moreover, 3,406 respondents, or 95.4%, said they would recommend Hangang Bus to others.

Meanwhile, the on-time performance indicator, which is important for a public transportation service, has also improved as operational expertise has grown. In July 2026, on-time performance recorded 99.3%, demonstrating its reliability as a public transportation.
 On-time performance records: 97.7% in March this year, 97% in April, 94.9% in May, 98.5% in June, and 99.3% in July

Positive impacts have been observed on the living population–a statistical term that includes both residents and regular visitors who vitalize a local economy– and the commercial areas near piers after the launch of the Hangang Bus. Comparing data from May 2025, when the Hangang Bus was not yet in operation, with data from May 2026, the living population within 500m of the Yeouido pier increased by 20.9%, while card sales at nearby food stores rose by 15.5%.

Unfortunately, the first year of the Hangang Bus had some challenges. It conducted test operations without passengers due to repeated technical issues in the early stages of operation from September 29, 2025, to October 31, and it even had an accident in which a vessel got stuck in a shallow-water area in Jamsil on November 15, 2025. However, the SMG responded by comprehensively reviewing and reorganizing its safety and operational systems, as well as facilities, including vessels, piers, and waterways.

Through all these hardships and efforts over the past year, the SMG is proud to say that the Hangang Bus has successfully demonstrated its early potential to become a major waterborne transportation service for the city, as well as for tourism and leisure activities. Going forward, the SMG will prioritize enhancing the basic qualities of public transportation, such as on-time performance, safety, accessibility, and transfer convenience, rather than driving up passenger numbers. In other words, the focus is to establish the Hangang Bus as an everyday means of travel for citizens.

At the same time, the SMG will strengthen the Hangang Bus’s distinctiveness. The goal is to combine mobility and urban experience, so people can get where they want to go while enjoying the city’s waterfront in comfort. The city government will draft detailed long-term plans, drawing on best examples from other cities, such as London and New York’s waterborne transportation.

<A forum to celebrate the first anniversary… Experts from diverse fields will put their heads together for the future direction>

To this end, the SMG will host the 2026 Hangang Bus Future Vision Forum at the Grand Hall on the third floor of Seoul City Hall on September 17 (Thu) at 9:40 AM. Mayor Oh Se-hoon will attend the forum, celebrating the first anniversary of the Hangang Bus, and will deliver a message on the achievements so far and future directions.

About 100 people, including the general public, college students, and experts in finance, service operations, business management, public relations, and other fields, will attend the forum. They will review Hangang Bus’s achievements and challenges over the past year and discuss its direction and vision for the future to develop Hangang Bus into an everyday means of transportation for citizens.

Park Jin-young, head of the Future Hangang Headquarters of the SMG, will deliver his keynote speech to review the service’s operational achievements and room for development, and suggest a step-by-step plan to bring the service closer to citizens’ everyday lives, thus creating new value for the Hangang River.

After the keynote speech, two insightful presentations from experts will follow. Dr. Yoon Seon-kwon of the Seoul Institute will present “One Year of Hangang Bus, Setting Standards for Achievement on the Water.” Kim Jae-in, a senior programmer at Cannes Lions and a public relations expert, will present “PR and Marketing Strategies to Improve Perceptions of Hangang Bus.”

The SMG will proactively collect ideas from experts and citizens during the forum and reflect them in future Hangang Bus operations.

<Promotional events to celebrate the first anniversary will take place… Rooftop music performances at the piers, video and photo contests to be held>

Along with the forum, Hangang Bus will arrange various promotional events to celebrate its first year: rooftop live performances at the Yeouido Pier, an AI short-form video and photo contest, and a video challenge for citizens.

The rooftop performances will take place on September 18, the first anniversary, from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Yeouido Hangang Bus Pier. Officially titled “Hangang Bus Rooftop Live Seoul,” approximately 150 citizens who registered in advance will be invited to the rooftop and enjoy a live music performance against the backdrop of the sunset over the Hangang River. There will also be a luck draw at the end.

AI Short-form video and photo contest will be held from September 18 to October 21, with the theme “The Hangang Bus’s First Year with Citizens.” Participants can submit AI-generated videos or photos that express how Hangang Bus has changed daily life in the city and mobility experiences. More information about the contest is available on the Hangang Bus website and social media channels. The total prize money is 4.5 million won. Winning entries will be displayed at Mangwon Pier’s Café, New Case, and on electronic signages at other piers.

The video content challenge took place from September 1 to 14 by the Seoul Housing & Urban Development Corporation for public relations and marketing student clubs from colleges. Participating students created short-form videos of up to two minutes with the theme of “Once You Ride Hangang Bus.” The videos captured various users’ experiences with the service, including families, couples, friends, workers, and tourists. The city will display the best videos to citizens at Hangang Bus piers, on the Hangang Bus website, and on social media channels.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, “Hangang Bus serves two functions: it is a means of public transportation, yet it is also a multi-functional platform that creates new urban experiences, raises economic value, and connects the Hangang River and various parts of Seoul. For the next five to ten years, we will further strengthen safety and on-time performance, while working to reduce intervals and establish more piers, in order to make Hangang Bus a daily means of public transportation that citizens can conveniently use any day, any time.” He concluded, “I hope Hangang Bus paves the way to connecting major economic hubs within the city along the river and creating a ‘Hangang Economic Belt’, where new industries and economic vitality are born.”