Korean culture may be totally shocking for most foreigners, and the transportation is no different. This article is here to help you understand how to properly use Korean transportation so you will have a smooth transit from home to work, school, or meeting friends.
In buses, you just go up through the front door, and you go down through the back door (some buses only have one door, so going in and out is easier). When you enter and exit the bus you should check the T-money card (when exiting, it helps for transit since you won't pay again if you change the bus or subway in less than 30 minutes). To get to the next station, you have to press one of the red buttons that say STOP and then you will hear a beep so you can be sure that the driver will stop (sometimes if there are no passengers who want to get off / get on, the bus does not stop). Therefore, in less crowded areas, it is good to signal the driver to stop. You can't go inside the bus with food or drinks that are open, like coffee cups or burgers. Also, most buses have Wi-Fi for free, so make sure to check the windows for the proper sticker. And nowadays, electric buses have USB ports that allow you to charge your phone. Also, make sure you don't leave any trash on the bus, and throw it away in the garbage can provided near the door. There are also special seats for elderly people and pregnant women, distinguished by different colors, orange or yellow for the elderly and pink for pregnant.
In the subway, the classic rules must be followed such as stopping on the right side of the escalator, because the left one is for people who want to keep going. First exit and then enter the subway. Both on the subway and on the bus, the transport card is validated once at the entrance and once again at the exit (the main reason being that there is a discount when connecting several means of transport). The transport card is the same for all means of transport. The subways also have Wi-Fi routers that you can connect to if you have a monthly plan paid at a certain Korean phone company. The seats are also, designated for the elderly (usually 6 seats near the first and last door of the cart) and for pregnant women, with the pink color and the sign above. The stations are announced in 4 languages and they also say the side of the door, so make sure you wait at the right one. The subway has 9 carts most of the time (with a few exceptions) and all carts have 4 doors, the door number is written on the platform starting with 1-1 and ending with 9-4 (this is used for easier access for stairs and elevators). Also, in the subway, you are not allowed to eat, but you can grab a cup of coffee.
These are just the normal cultural rules that Korea has when it comes to transportation. We hope you follow them and respect everyone that travels together with you!
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