The operation of the “Halla Snow Flower Bus,” which allows passengers to enjoy the winter scenery of Jeju's Hallasan Mountain, will be expanded to weekdays due to the large number of passengers.

Jeju Island announced that it would expand the operation of the Halla Snow Flower Bus, a special route that was only operated on weekends and holidays, to weekdays from January 13.

The bus allows people to enjoy the beautiful snowy scenery of Hallasan Mountain more safely and conveniently using public transportation. There are Halla Snow Flower Bus No. 1100, a special route that runs temporarily from December to February, and regular route of bus No. 240.

The Halla Snow Flower Bus No. 1100 has been operating from 8:40 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. on weekends and holidays since December 21 last year. The bus runs between Jeju Bus Terminal and Yeongsil Ticket Office.

The regular route of bus No. 240, runs between Jeju Bus Terminal and the Jeju International Convention Center via Yeongsil Ticket Office. According to the data released by Jeju Island, an average of 1,800 tourists visited the Yeongsil Ticket Office on weekends and holidays using the two routes. In particular, it was found that the number of passengers per day reached 2,000 on weekends when heavy snow fell, and there were more than 100 people waiting in line to take the buses.

In response to the continued demand from Jeju residents and tourists who want to explore the snowy landscape of Hallasan Mountain, Jeju Island increased operations of Halla Snow Flower Bus No. 1100 two more times a day and began weekday operation service from that day.

An official from Jeju Island said, "As the utilization rate of bus No. 240, a regular route that operates both weekdays and weekends, is close to 90 percent, we decided to operate the special route of bus No. 1100 on weekdays." The decision was also made in response to the increasing parking difficulties and traffic congestion in the area due to residents and tourists driving their own vehicles rather than using public transportation.

“We will continue to monitor the use of the Halla Snow Flower Bus to ensure that there is no inconvenience in using public transportation,” said Kim Tae-wan, director of the Jeju Transportation and Aviation Bureau. ”For more information on the bus, please check the Jeju Bus Information System (https://bus.jeju.go.kr).”