Han River Bus (Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Government/courtesy of haps Magazine Korea)
Seoul’s Han River Bus has surpassed 500,000 cumulative passengers less than a year after launching, with city officials reporting strong weekend demand and high customer satisfaction.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the water transit service reached 501,430 passengers on August 13, about 11 months after beginning regular operations in September 2025.
Ridership has grown steadily since the full route resumed service on March 1. Nearly 300,000 passengers used the service between March and July, with another 100,000 riders added in just the past 50 days.
Weekend travel has been a major driver of demand. Nearly half of all passengers have ridden the service on Saturdays and Sundays, with weekend trips accounting for 51% of ridership since the full route reopened.
Yeouido Pier has been the busiest stop, serving nearly 178,000 passengers, followed by Jamsil, Magok, Ttukseom, and Mangwon. The temporary Seoul Forest Pier, which opened in June to improve access to the Seoul International Garden Show, has also attracted more than 14,000 passengers in just over two months.
A July passenger survey also found strong public approval. Among 3,569 respondents, 97% said they were satisfied with the Han River Bus, while 93% said they would use the service again and 95% said they would recommend it to others.
The city said it will continue monitoring passenger demand by route and day of the week to further improve operations and services.