[Editor's Note: This is my very rough translation of the information provided on the Daejeon Metropolitan City's website. I hope that people with better Korean skills than my own will leave comments to help better express what is written in the original. Errors and inaccuracies in translation are entirely my own. This article attempts to be as true to the original as possible without editorializing on the content.]
Update:
The city has published pocket-sized booklets of the new routes. These books are only in Korean, but are a handy reference tool for daily use. I will be picking some up shortly and trying to distribute them to the usual places. If anyone is interested in helping, please get in touch or leave a comment below.
Original Post:
Daejeon Metropolitian City is making major changes to the public transit system taking effect December 30. Starting at the end of this month there will be four types of buses, all new route numbers and changes to services such as the free transfers. The City is instituting these changes for three primary reasons: the routes are too long and don’t arrive on time, they are too meandering and take an excessively long time to reach their destination, and there are not sufficient places to transfer from one route to another.
Types of Buses
Sample of how the new routes will work. The grey line is the subway.
The four types of routes will be denoted by the colour of the vehicles on the route. Red (????) buses are express routes which only stop at major transfer stations. These will be used to cover long distances as quickly as possible. At the moment there are only two planned routes: Route 1 and Route 2. These routes have only a single digit in their route numbers. Blue (????) buses are will travel along main arteries. These routes have three-digit route numbers (ie: 102, 911). Green (????) buses will be local feeders, running loops around neighborhoods and dropping riders at transfer stations to the blue and red lines. These appear to also have route numbers with three digits, but I’m not certain. Finally, there will also be outskirts or suburb buses, although the bus colour does not seem to be established as of yet. They have two-digit route numbers. You can check out the routes at one of the following links, although all are in Korean:
- ODSay – Link from Daejeon City Website. Doesn’t play nice with anything but IE on Windows. Javascript links make linking to specific routes difficult (potentially impossible). This appears to use the same system as Naver.
- Naver – See above.
- Yahoo – Ditto.
- There are some other sites, but all of them use the ODsay system to display route maps.
Transfers
At present, riders are limited to a single transfer within an hour of first fare payment. The new system will allow up to three transfers over 80 minutes. These can only be transfers to buses of a different route number. If you board a bus of the same number within the 80-minute transfer period you will be charged full fare again. Transfers can only be made by using a bus card or similar device.
Riding with Children
Currently, only one child under six years of age is permitted to ride at no charge with a guardian. This will be raised to three children under the new system.
Kindness and Order
Bus operators will keep order and present a kind-hearted attitude. This will include operating the vehicles in a way that avoids sudden stops or departures. Seeking to improve the quality of the transportation service and occupational satisfaction of the workers, there will be a reinforcement of the importance of kindness.
Building a More Convenient Transit System
- 100% of bus stops to have full-service platforms by 2011, and will be carried out under a phased expansion.
- Numerous conveniently-located transfer stops, including 20 major transfer points to be established across the city.
- A variety of transfer information will be provided at these stations
- Installation of 1,000 zones on the street at stops exclusively for bus use
- Illegal parking at bus stops will be eliminated
- Safety zones for boarding and disembarking passengers will be ensured
- Bus-only traffic lanes around the city will be increased from 38km to 66km
Plan ahead to avoid inconveniences
The City asks you to plan ahead and learn the new routes that you will need to use before the changeover date to avoid problems. People with questions about the upcoming changes can call:
- Daejeon City Call Center – 120
- Daejeon Public Transportation Department – 600-3920~4
- City Bus Transportation Union – 527-5231~4
- Your local Gu Office Transportation Department – Daedeok-gu: 608-5263, Dong-gu: 250-1366, Jung-gu: 606-6862, Seo-gu: 611-5873, Yuseong-gu: 611-2577
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For me, it makes travelling to Daejeon station and the immigration a little more inconvenient but shopping much more convenient. I guess it’s an acceptable trade-off.
Do you know if they are changing the numbers on the routes?
Yes, everything is changing. Some numbers will be re-used, but they are not for the same routes. You need to learn new routes to get where you need to go. I’ll be working on the tutorial for using the Korean-language maps in the next week.
Dear Socius,
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Thanks so much for doing so much leg work on the translation! I have been searching the website in vain trying to find information. By the way, where can we pick up the very important booklets? Are they available at select locations in the city? Any information would be very helpful on this. Thank you.
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Sincerely,
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Andrea Butler
In the past, current city maps, including bus maps, were available at the city’s tourist information centers. The main one is in Expo Park near Kumdori Land and across the street from the Natural Science Museum. There is also one near the front gates of Daejeon Zooland. There are also smallers ones at the Express Bus Terminal and two train stations. City Hall may also carry them. These tourist information centers have a small white i inside a white circle inside a brownish square as their logo.
leave it to the koreans to change up the bus routes in the middle of winter.
You’re certainly welcome, Andrea. The booklets (as I mentioned on your FB wall and on the later post here:http://www.socius.or.kr/2008/12/26/bus-system-route-information/) are available at your local Dong office or citizen center.
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I must say Daejeon has done a fabulous job not only on their campaign pre-change to notify people, but in also having liaison officers at nearly every bus stop to help people find where they’re going over the last three days (one day before the change and the first two days of the new system so far). It’s been quite cold out there in the mornings and evenings, and their presence is quite commendable. I rode the bus a couple of times on the 29th (before the changes) and on the 30th, and even though I am visibly NOT Korean, I was approached every time I encountered a liaison officer to make sure I knew how to get where I was going. Kudos!
I have located your site while googling “Daejeon Bus Map”.
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You have what the city hall or other Korean residents should have.
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I hope to be able to contribute.
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The first thing would to ask the city hall to make a bus guide in English.
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With the best wishes,
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Hongjoo Lee
Just a couple of comments. I received the new bus map guide in my mailbox, so I think everyone was sent a copy. This is not going to help new teachers of course. If you are going to use the bus frequently, you definitely need to get a transportation card. Unless you are heading to a major point ( such as Daejeon Station, City Hall, and so on), you are going to have to take more than 1 bus, unlike before, where you could get to most points on one bus. If you’re paying in cash, you could be costing yourself twice as much or more. From my understanding, the card can be used to transfer to the subway as well, and vice versa. Unfortunately, getting these cards is not as easy as it could be. I initially tried to get one at Hanna Bank (their name is on the card), but was told I would have to set up an account with them (according to my Korean co-teacher). I ended up buying one at the little grey “shack” or stand by the busstop in front of Timeworld. I paid 52,500 won (50,000 won debit plus 2500 won for the card). Through the week I use it 4 times a day and still have 30000 won left on it. I know it is not difficult to get them “recharged” (put more money on them)-there are many places where you can do this-most GS 25′s-there a a list of places at the back of the guide, albeit in Korean. I will say that the hard starts and stops at the bus stops have actually reduced. The connections are pretty good for the most part, although it does take me a little longer to get to work, but this is offset by the fact that buses come more frequently. My only complaint is that sometimes info on ALL the incoming buses is NOT on the board or arrival times are slightly inaccurate. I expected some glitches, but they have been minimal considering the scale of the changes made. With the concurrent increases in taxi fares, I hope to see more foreigners on the buses (I honestly hardly ever see any), because it is a very efficient and convenient system. The info above is very useful and helpful and I hope this adds to it.
Does anyone know the operating hours of the bus service? I’ve seen it somewhere before but I can’t seem to find any info on it now.
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Thanks.