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Memories of Department Store Bus Shuttle / Shuttle Bus Stop
October 31 2023
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Memories of Department Store Bus Shuttle
Do you know that transportation network is one of the headaches for a new city?
It is important for a new city to have the route network where a rapid trunk line and local segregated branch buses are efficiently connected at the transfer center point.
In this regard, it is worthwhile to deeply study a department store shuttle bus which had realized a successful new urban transportation network.
Department store shuttle buses had existed in the past but not these days. It was started with department stores in Seoul to attract customers late 1980s.
As the public transportation in a new city where the residents were just about to move in was not that comfortable, residents used to get the department stores' buses instead of city buses.
The department store buses have a variety of routes and were covered through and through in the areas consisting of many complexes inside the new cities.
It has many successful factors including the operation not only in surrounding neighborhoods but in the area which is not located nearby. It is said that the modal share of department store buses at that time was about 40%.
Factors that Contributed to Success
Free-of-Charge Service / In principle, it should check if the passenger is from the department store but it was impossible to verify them all, so virtually the bus service was free of charge for the purpose of customer attraction.
Luxurious Vehicles and Wonderful Service / All seated coaches, a fleet of large buses / kind drivers who went through wonderful service training
Local Segregation Route Networks / Unlike city buses, department store buses only pick up passengers in the area and pass through intermediate areas / Improved express speed, optimal bus supply method to meet the demand of the area in charge / Contributes to improved punctuality, strict adherence to timetable / Shuttle bus timetable
Hub-and-spoke transportation network centered on intermodal transfer centers / Take the Bundang Line train from Seoul to Seohyeon Station, shop for dinner at a department store, and take the department store bus for returning home. / Shopping at the intermodal center and conveniently changing modes of transportation, reducing total travel time
Taken together, it is intelligible that the transportation design principle current new cities should pursuit had been realized at the times of department store buses.
The fact of the free-of-charge department store bus service had been realized through the integrated fare system (2007) in Gyeonggi province. That's because, under the fare system, taking a branch line bus after getting off trunk line is virtually at no cost.
Making buses luxury and improvement in the service for drivers keep in progression.
However, the inter-modal transfer center and hub-and-spoke transportation network system has not yet been realized.
It is said that the turnover rate of metropolitan buses is low as they currently run long distance inside the new city for long time. The branch line buses that run intermediate routes to major nodal points are not available either.
Therefore, the demand for passenger vehicles to pass through intermediate areas cannot but gets higher.
Are they no longer in operation now?
Regrettably, the department store shuttle buses were abolished in 2001 as they were found unconstitutional.
By now, it is worthwhile to study the department store shuttle buses in depth which realized successful new urban transportation network in the past.
* This card news is produced by modifying and supplementing the article 'Find Hidden Traffic: Memories of Department Store Shuttle Bus’ of Monthly Transportation issued November 2022.