All that I can tell you about Korean Transport...

Hello all my adoring fans!!!

So you have been gallantly trolling through my vast entries on this blog (which I very much appreciate by the way) and I thought it was time to say something useful to potential travellee’s to Korea. This post is all about my experience and some insight into using the Korean Transport System.

In Korea traffic laws seem to exist for car and busses. Motorcycles and scooters apparently do not have to abide by the rules (E.g. The lights may be red but the scooter will go anyway and if they are red they are likely to drive across where you are standing to avoid having to stop)

Koreans don’t seem to worry about their cars as much as Westerners do. If there is a ding, they don’t normally fix it. That said they are , I think, more reasonable drivers then we have back home so they are less likely to get into crashes.

They will park anywhere and everywhere so moral of the story, don’t just look where cars are when you are crossing the road, ALWAYS LOOK as you might find that one is heading toward you on the pavement because it wants a good parking spot.

The main streets are minimum 2 lanes either side and sometimes up to 4. They are HUGE! So stick to pedestrian crossings otherwise you might die, and when on those pedestrian crossings and you have made a decision to go, stick with it, do not doubt your ability to emerge out the other side alive, because then YOU WILL DIE. Take the gap people! The side streets are like Cape Town so if you are in a side street and a car is coming, from any direction, towards you – STOP! And wait for the car to pass as the side streets are generally not wide enough for man and car and CAR WILL ALWAYS WIN!

NOTE if you are from SOUTH AFRICA:    IN KOREA THEY DRIVER ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD, so... Look left, then right and then left again before crossing.

From here on out his post will be concerned with reviewing the most common forms of transport and the ones that I have used – i.e. Flights will not be in here as I have not flown around yet – though I believe you can get some really good prices.

1^st things 1^st: What do you need to know?

1. Where to catch them? 2. What are the prices? 3. Where do they go? 4. How do you use them? 5. What are they like to travel on?

Forms of transport I will be reviewing under these headings:

-          Taxis

-          Busses

-          Subways

-          Trains

Please be advised: There are 2 kinds of Taxi and Bus drivers in Korea (however this applies more often to Bus drivers):

1. The Cowboy: These individuals insist on pulling up to the various bus stops as fast as possible, such that they overshoot the stop by about 5m (That is when you are waiting for the bus). When you are on the bus and they brake like that, your face will have to go from 0 G to 4G in about 0.5 of a second and you will get whiplash if you do not knock out your front teeth on the seat in front of you from the jolt.

These gentlemen fly between stops and when you push the button to indicate that you want to get off at the next stop they break so hard that you had better make sure you are holding onto something otherwise you will end up on the drivers lap.

2. The Sunday “Driving Ms. Daisy” Type: The stroll up to the stops and it is all very pleasent and sedate. You will be tempted to fall asleep but if you need to get somewhere phone on the bus to say you might be a little late.

Taxis

1. Taxis are everywhere. They look like this:

Unlike South African Taxi's which look like this:

You can find a taxi (in any city worth being called a city) everywhere you look. The trick is just having a glance at the light on the roof to tell you if they are on duty/are open. At all major commuter ports like airports, train and subway station, and bus terminals they are parked outside. They park in a line and you should always approach the taxi that is 1^st in the cue to ask if they can take you where you need to go. If they know where to go then climb in. At the major retail centres you can also ask the help desks to call you a taxi if you need one and there are none around.

2. The minimum fare that I have seen is W2200. Once the meter has gone past that 2200 mark it goes up in increments of W100 generally. If you catch a taxi after 00:00 the fare I think goes up to W2400 – W2600 and increments go up from W100 to W200. I am not sure how the system calculates the fare - the faster you go the quicker you go through the minimum fare – so I am guessing it is related to the fuel economy that you are using at any one point in time. Therefore if you are stopped at the lights the speed at which the meter reads the minimum fare, or goes up once you have surpassed the minimum fare, is a great deal slower. If you see you are going to get stuck in traffic and it is not far to get to your destination rather get out and walk as it will be cheaper.
3. Taxis pretty much go anywhere in the jurisdiction of their company which is normally anywhere in the City you caught it or 20min outside. HOWEVER if you ask them to take you from Deagu to Seoul they probably will because it means a HUGE fare for them. (NOT ADVISED)
4. This is done on an instructional basis (as I am sure you would have guessed). Tell the driver where you want to go and he will take you there. To pay just give them the amount you owe them according to the metre. In some cases you can use subway cards to pay as well though I have not seen that yet.

A WORD OF WARNING: Watch your pronunciation of your desired destination. If you are even slightly off you might have an experience I had in Andong (refer to previous blog post: Andong die ada hand Darren).

SOME VOCAB FOR YOU: Always say “Hello”: An-yong Ha-seyo.; Jew-seyo is a version of “Please” so place that after you have told the driver your desired destination e.g. Yoengcheon  Yok  Jew-seyo? (Yoengcheon Station please). Yok = Station and that is only train stations. So if you need to get to a train station wherever you are, say the name of the place/area followed by the work Yok. Finally: Bali-Bali means “hurry hurry”/”quickly”and Yogi – basically mean “here” so if you tell a driver yogi you are saying “stop here”. 

5. Taxi’s are probably the most comfortable and (save the KTX Bullet train and Airplanes) the fastest way to get somewhere). Recommended when you are in a rush but beware of market days if you are based in a small county and not a big city. On those days the main roads may become a market place effectively closing off 75% of the roads to stalls and foot traffic – thus creating a decent traffic jam.

*NOTE: The Korean Government has been advising ladies  to NOT take taxi’s late (from 21:00 onwards) at night unless in a group or accompanied by a male as recently drivers have been taking liberties with their female passengers and in some cases raping them.

Busses

I am not a fan of busses. Let this be know from the outset. As such my writing may be a tinge biased. However I will try and keep my feelings in check to give you at least a half decent account of this mode of transport.

1. Bus stops are located anywhere you look. They could be in two forms: 1. Just a sign post or 2. A bus stop shelter - the busses stop in the blue line. If you see blue lines on the road, you know it is a bus stop. You could also go to the local bus terminals to catch the correct bus for your internal travel needs.

DO NOT confuse the normal bus terminals for EXPRESS terminals. The latter is to allow INTER-CITY transport. The standards bus terminals allow for travel between suburbs or outlying areas in your home city. Below is a picture of my local bus terminal in Yeongchoen as well as what the tickets look like.

Busses are the most available form of transport and the easiest to find, however you need to know you bus numbers/schedules/how to read Korean to ensure you get on the correct bus to get where you want to get too.

You will make a mistake or two on the way but YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE helped by your co-workers, so don’t be too intimidated. If you are not helped (as was the case with me) do not worry. Do not panic. It happens to all of us. I have twice gotten on the wrong bus but if you find someone who can help you, you will be fine.

NOTE as well that busses go everywhere. There is always a bus that goes to where you want to go – you just have to research and hunt around to find out where to catch it and how much/how long the commute is

1. The cost of bus rides depends on where you are going. To be honest I do not know the price range but Intercity could be any price, just check at your local terminals. Travelling within your city, with my experience so far I have not paid more than W1500 per bus ride. It can add up if you live in a bigger city and need to do multiple transfers on different busses, each time having to pay to get on the bus.
2. As mentioned in (1.) of this section there are 2 kinds of bus terminals: the normal terminal for your internal suburban needs and the EXPRESS terminal for your INTER-CITY travel. You need to know which terminal is which as they are just called bus terminals
3. If you catch the bus at the terminal it is easy enough. Buy your ticket at the terminal and wait for the right departure time to go and climb on your bus. FOR INTERNAL needs you do not need a ticket – you can wait at the stop and just pay cash (or use a travel card if your busses use). When paying cash you will drop you required amount into the fair machines (see below).

Try and have the correct amount on you as close as possible. The drivers do give change if you do not have any coins and only cash notes. But don’t climb onto a bus with only W10 000 notes. That is not a good idea. Always have W1000 notes and W100; W500 coins handy for bus fares (if you don’t use a card)

When you get off the bus that could be a little confusing. It goes without saying – KNOW YOUR STOP. Memorise landmarks to tell you when you are close to your stop. You will get on the bus at the front where the driver sits. You GET OFF the bus in the middle of the bus, NOT WHERE YOU GO ON. To get off the bus you will have a button close the EXIST door as well as various other points at the front and back of the bus. Just find the button closest to you when you get on.

Push this button and a light comes on to indicate to the driver that someone wants to get off at the next stop.

5. Finally, what are they like to travel on? This is where my bias has come in. I have not enjoyed my bus travel. The temperature control on the busses is up to the driver. If he is cold, he will have the heater right up. If he is hot, the air-con will be right on. It doesn’t matter what the conditions are like outside. It is up to the driver.

Busses are very bumpy and can be packed like sardines (meaning that you may have to stand for the duration of your journey-which is particularly unpleasant on a hot summer’s day when everyone is sweaty and sticky).  Space is also at a premium. I am lucky as I am not the biggest guy in the world but if you are Giant size (comparable to normal Koreans, I am tall) you might find leg room is an issue. I have found that busses take longer than trains and the inter-city busses I have been on have been more expensive than trains. It is varied and I have heard from friends busses are fast. It all depends on you and where you are going. That is busses really

Subways

1. This answer is simple – You catch them at the Subway Station (also known as Metro Stations).  Subways are only found in the bigger major cities though. Seoul has 7 Metro Lines. Deajeon has 1, Deagu has 2. Those are the place I know have subways.
2. Cost is about W1500 to use the subways. You can pay using a subway card or you can buy tokens form the automated token machines. Subway cards look like this: (I use the one on the left for Seoul and the one on the right for Daegu. You will see on the Daegu card that there are pictures - that shows you what other things the card can be used for.

Either way you scan the card/token on the chip reader and then head down to the tracks. You will find that Subways use English and Korean so just make sure you are familiar with you stops and the side of the line you need to be on. You can recharge travel cards at all subway stations and if you are using a token just drop the token into the slot at the exit gate of the tracks when you leave the station.

I have already dealt with 4 so I will deal with 3 and 5 together now.

Depending on the city they could travel all around the city and to all suburbs (like for Seoul) or they could just service the centre of the city. It all depends. I really do enjoy using them when I can though. It might be a novelty factor but I find them really fun. And they are a cheap and easy way to get from one place to another in a city. Be warned though, with waits and subway rides you could have a long commute if you are travelling around a city using subways exclusively.

On Subways you will do a lot of Zzzzz

Never have a deadline – such as a train/bus ticket and think you can just hop on the subway to make your train/bus. It is not that simple. Plan your timing otherwise you will miss your connections.

Train

I now move onto my favourite mode of transport.

Trains.

This is a picture of the High-Speed KTX  Bullet Train

I love trains because:

a)      The few times I have tried Busses instead I have found trains to be cheaper and far more comfortable

b)      When I travel I want time over expensive – thus taking the train may be expensive but when you travel long distances it gives you more time in the place you are going and you are likely to feel more rested while using them.

c)       The organisation of the ticketing system and timetables is for my far easier to use than with bus stations.

d)      The journeys are comfortable and you can buy snacks/drinks on any and every train.

e)      Finally and what is the biggest reason I love trains: The scenery seen from a train is definitely the most beautiful of all that you see when you travel.

NOW BACK TO ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS I HAVE SET:

1. Trains can be found at any station. Most towns have stations though not all types of trains go to those stations. The trains that are most likely to stop in your town if you are in the middle of nowhere are the Commuter and the Mugunghwa trains. I have yet to have to use the Commuter train as the Mugunghwa has served my purposes. When you want to get to the station and you eather take a taxi/walk but don’t know where it is just say to the taxi driver or person you ask the name of the town whose station you are looking for and “yok” so for me: “Yoengchoen yok ju-se-yo?” (meaning “Yoengcheon station please?”)

A standard Train platform at a smaller station

On the Left is my station - smaller. On the right is Gumi Station - much bigger

1. The price of the train you take depends on the type of train you take. And the type of train you take will affect your commuting time. There are 4 kinds of trains: the most expensive is the KTX Bullet train. This train can only be used at major cities and between major cities as it severs as a means to get between those major cities as quickly as possible. I am not in a major city – so for me to catch the KTX, I have to travel to Deagu to catch that train. KTX gets you where you need to go in the quickest amount of time if you are visiting a major city. E.G. When I have gone to Seoul my total commute costs W 46 000 – where it is about 2000 to get to Deagu and then 44 000 from Deagu to Seoul.

The KTX is very comfortable and you should have no problem identifying when to get off the train as the announcements are in English and Korean. They are like the railroad equvaletn to air travel. So you have 1^st class cars and economy class cars and just like planes economy can be a bit squashed.

Inside Stations - things are very well sign-posted so you should not have a problem finding your platforms

The 2^nd kind of train is the Saemaul which is like a business class train. You have the most amount of space in the carriages and almost fully reclinable seats. They have been the most comfortable to travel in. They are only on average 5min quicker than the Mugungwa trains but do cost about on average 2 500 more to use. They do not stop at every station so be careful when you book your trains and want to use it as they may not actually stop at your station.

Inside the bigger stations this is typically what it iwll look like

The next type of train is one I have mentioned a couple of times already, the Mugunghwa train. This is the cheapest train I have used but the conditions are good – there is more room in this train then you would get in a KTX! Though less than a Saemaul train. This kind of train is nice to travel in when you have short distances and are travelling from a “small” to one of the more major centres and suits that purpose brilliantly. It also has a food car when you can get snacks/drinks from a vending machine.

The information boards in Train station are genereally done swutching between English and Korean

The last kind of train, which I know nothing about, is the Commuter train.

With respect to train I think I have answered questions 3, 4, 5 in the descriptions of the types of trains.

I have created a guide on how to book a train ticket form the automated ticketing machines for you to follow. Just look at the pictures and read the captions that follow.





What the Automated Ticket Machine looks like



Select the ENGLISH option at the bottom of the home screen

Press "Purchase Ticket"

This is the information you must select for you journey. Hit "Edit" for each section and make your choices

When choosing the train type remember that as you go down the list the trains get cheaper but travel time and sometimes comfort decreases. You will generally select "Economy" on every train you take.

Selecting a station is easy enough - just search for the desired departure and arrival stations

This pic shows all the information having been completed

You then confirm the status level of your seasting and the details on the ticket

Select which societal category you fall into and how many people you are traveling with

You check the details and price again and pay using YOUR BANK CARD (Marked as Credit Card on the Screen) - I have not found a machine that uses cash yet. Follow the prompts to enter your pin and you will receive your ticket. If you have problems there is genereally a Ko-Rail employee around to help of go to the main ticket counter. These machines are useful for when the main counters are closed.

I think that will do it for my Transport blog – I hope it was helpful to those of you who are thinking of or are coming here and that they give you a leg up when you use proper public transport for the first time.