Intercity Buses
Intercity buses are the best transportation for cyclists in Korea. They’re cheap, reliable, and service every city and town. Just toss your bike into their underbellies and hop aboard.
Express vs. Intercity Buses
Korea’s intercity (시외) and express (고속) bus systems do the same thing: carry passengers from one city to another.
Why two systems? Korea’s national Ministry of Transportation operates express buses. Local municipalities regulate intercity buses.
Most of the time, the differences between the intercity and express buses won’t affect your travel. However, there are some important distinctions.
Express Buses
Express buses (고속; /gosok/) carry passengers on direct routes between major metropolitan cities. They travel longer distances on expressways with tolls. They don’t run multi-city routes, which shortens their average travel time.
Express bus companies use newer buses with the most up-to-date amenities. The Premium (프리미엄) class of buses represents the pinnacle, with its privacy cubbies and personal TVs.
Intercity Buses
Intercity buses (시외; /sioe/) fill in the gaps missed by express buses. They travel long and short distances, connecting major cities with minor towns. They travel slower highways and often stop at multiple cities along their routes, which extend their average travel time.
However, over time intercity bus companies began running buses between distant metropolitan cities, mimicking express bus routes and complicating the busing system.
Intercity Bus Routes
Let’s look at the routes used by intercity buses.
Regular Intercity Buses
Regular (일반; /ilban/) buses travel to more rural areas. They hit several cities and towns along their fixed route.
The small bus terminals on the east coast use regular intercity buses (일반). These buses stick plaques that list several destinations in their windshields. For example: 동해 (Donghae) / 삼척 (Samcheok) / 울진 (Uljin) / 영덕 (Yeongdeok) / 포항 (Pohang).
The bus’s first stop is Donghae City (동해). Its last is Pohang City (포항). Going to Uljin County (울진)? Hop aboard. Get off at the third stop.
Direct Intercity Buses
Direct buses carry passengers from one departure point to one destination. No between stops. (If the travel time exceeds three hours, the driver will stop for 15 minutes at a highway rest area.)
Intercity buses label these routes as either direct-route (직행; /jikhaeng/) or non-stop (무정차, /mujeongcha/). Passengers often mistake them for express buses.
The difference between a “direct” and an “express” route matters if you want to arrive at a specific bus terminal. Some terminals host either intercity or express buses. More below.
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