Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

Spending this past year without our own car has meant a lot of public transit rides.  I’ve had to take many more city bus rides in Ulsan than I’ve ever taken before.  I use the buses a lot more than most of our friends because I am usually traveling longer distances for work.

I have no idea how to explain where I am going most of the time.  I have not learned how to read or speak Korean so the first time traveling to a new destination is always a guess and check experience.  Luckily I can do some research online before I go or I can get Brynn to help read the maps for me.  After being here for about 11 months I have gotten very good at memorizing the bus numbers I need and guessing the bus routes of the remaining buses.  I have noticed that certain numbered buses travel similar routes and I’m sure the bus numbers mean something I just don’t know what it is.

Buses in Ulsan are an experience in themselves.  You never know what you’re going to get.  Sometimes they’re packed to the gills and you have to squeeze yourself in or stand in the doorway.  Other times you can get a seat and just relax.  It is important to keep in mind how far you are going.  For some reason the buses will lull you to sleep.  I used to see Koreans sleeping on the bus and wonder how in the world they could ever fall asleep in one of these big, loud rollercoasters.  I’ve never overslept my stop but I’ve had a few close calls.

You’ll see lots of strange stuff on the buses.  Certain routes seem stranger than others.  If you are going into downtown you will usually have nicely dressed passengers with designer label shopping bags where if you’re going to the countryside you’ll find a lot more old people with bags of produce in tow.  I’ve come to find out that I am not the only one who doesn’t understand the bus routes.  Often the bus will stop and no one will get on or off or maybe someone will ask the driver about his route.  I’m not sure how this happens because the routes are all clearly labeled in Korean and seem easy to understand.

The city bus drivers have all received extensive driver training from NASCAR so you are almost always going to get where you are going in a hurry.  (I’ve only been on about three ‘slow’ buses so far)  They seem to have simplified the braking and acceleration system from pedals to on/off switches.  Changing gears is often more grinding than finding but eventually it gets done.  When you get on the bus grab the nearest stationary object and hang on.  You can find your spot and then navigate the maze of passengers like Spiderman gripping one pole then another trying to go when the bus goes and brace when it stops and pause when it shifts gears.

In case you didn’t catch on I’m not a fan of the bus drivers.  I’ve seen old people struggling to get to a seat, women with small children stumbling across the floor barely keeping balanced, and in a couple of cases I’ve seen people fall trying to get seated.  It doesn’t matter how much experience you have riding the bus it’s still going to be difficult to stay balanced and you will soon catch on that having a seat is a real prize.