Since November last year, premium express bus services have been operating between Seoul and Busan, and Seoul and Gwangju, in attempt to draw customers away from high-speed train services. So far the response has been positive, and today MOLIT announced that it would be adding more services throughout the country from June 30.
12 more routes will be added between major cities including Daegu, Gangneung and Yeosu. The number of daily services between Busan and Gwangju will also be increased. See the table below for a full list of routes and number of services per day.
| Route | Fare (in won) | Daily Return Services |
| Seoul – Daegu | 32,700 | 16 |
| Seoul – Suncheon | 37,100 | 5 |
| Seoul – Yeosu | 40,000 | 4 |
| Seoul – Jinju | 29,900 | 6 |
| Seongnam – Gwangju | 33,100 | 6 |
| Incheon – Gwangju | 36,100 | 8 |
| Seoul – Changwon | 40,100 | 4 |
| Seoul – Mokpo | 39,500 | 8 |
| Seoul – Busan | 44,400 | 18 |
| Seoul – Gwangju | 33,900 | 30 |
| Seoul – Masan | 39,600 | 4 |
| Seoul – Pohang | 41,300 | 3 |
| Seoul – Gangneung | 27,900 | 6 |
| Incheon Airport – Gimhae | 53,900 | 2 |
| Incheon – Gimhae (with stops) | 45,200 |
Note: Getting a bus after 10pm will get you a 10% discount, and the fare for Pohang is subject to change due to the opening of the Sangju-Yeongcheon Highway.
Both the new Hyundai and Kia premium buses will be used on the routes, which include reclining seats, curtains, an entertainment system, USB charging and reading light. The vehicles come with extra safety features, such as a lane departure warning system (LDWS) and an advanced emergency braking system (A-EBS). The interior is also made of flame retardant material.
Tickets for the new services can be booked from 9am, June 19 via the mobile app, website, or at relevant terminals.
If booking tickets from Seoul to Gwangju, Suncheon, Yeosu, or Mokpo, use www.hticket.co.kr.
For all other routes use www.kobus.co.kr.
Limited time discount: To celebrate the new services, seats booked any weekday except Friday will be discounted by 15% from June 30 through to July 31.
Do the buses have toilets inside? Is there fare difference for children/students?
Hi. Unfortunately, no to both those questions. But of course they stop at rest areas on the way.
Hm… KTX is 59800 won, while SRT is only 51800 won between Seoul and Busan with ~2,5 hours journey time.
Unless you need to travel at night, I don’t really think it’s reasonable to take a bus trip which can last up to 4-5 hours, just to save less than 7k won.
(BTW, the lack of on-board toilet is quite ridiculous in 2017. In Taiwan even the poorest highway buses have this amenity.)