In Seoul, public transit buses are operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and private bus operators.

There are four types of buses:^[1]

• Trunk Bus (Blue) : Trunk buses are operated partly by private bus companies and partly by the city government. It runs for longer distance and has access to median bus lanes connecting suburban areas to downtown Seoul. The city has taken full consideration to introducing 3 kinds of buses belonging to the Blue Bus category: articulated buses (since retired), low floor buses, and high floor buses. The blue color represents Seoul's skyline and Hangang (River), which in turn symbolize security and freedom.
• Branch Bus (Green) : Branch buses are flexibly operated by private bus companies. It runs for shorter distance connecting major subway stations or bus terminals outside downtown Seoul. It is similar to the city bus and the community shuttle bus currently in operation. The green color represents the mountains surrounding the city.
• Rapid Bus (Red) : Rapid buses are express buses designed especially for passengers commuting between downtown Seoul and the metropolitan area. The red color represents the energy of speed.
• Circulation Bus (Yellow) : Circulation buses will circle parts of Seoul and stop at stations near business areas, tourist areas, and shopping areas, as well as providing connections to trunk/branch buses, subway stations, and major railway stations. The color yellow was selected for its dynamic and friendly image. Circulation buses routes have been slowly discontinued, with the last remaining routes being the three Namsan loop buses.

Route numbers specify area divisions. For trunk and branch buses, the first digit indicates the area where the route begins, and the second digit indicates where the route ends. For rapid buses, the first digit is always 9, and the second digit indicates the area in which the route begins. The first digit of circulation buses indicates the area in which the bus circles. Routes that begin with an 8 are holiday or rush-hour only branch buses. For all lines, any remaining digits identify individual routes.

The following list shows the numbering system of routes based by area. This system was created to facilitate recognition of route outlines.^[2]

• Area 0 : Central Seoul (Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu)
• Area 1 : Dobong-gu, Gangbuk-gu, Seongbuk-gu, Nowon-gu. (also Uijeongbu, Yangju)
• Area 2 : Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seongdong-gu, Gwangjin-gu. (also Guri, Namyangju)
• Area 3 : Gangdong-gu, Songpa-gu. (also Hanam, Gwangju (Gyeonggi Province))
• Area 4 : Seocho-gu, Gangnam-gu. (also Seongnam, Yongin)
• Area 5 : Dongjak-gu, Gwanak-gu, Geumcheon-gu. (also Anyang, Gwacheon, Uiwang, Ansan, Gunpo, Suwon)
• Area 6 : Gangseo-gu, Yangcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Guro-gu. (also Incheon, Bucheon, Gwangmyeong, Gimpo, Siheung)
• Area 7 : Eunpyeong-gu, Mapo-gu, Seodaemun-gu. (also Goyang, Paju)

Most buses in South Korea are domestic models and are made by Hyundai, Daewoo and Edison Motors. Buses are either 9 m (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in) or 10.6 m (34 ft 9+5⁄16 in) to 11 m (36 ft 1+1⁄16 in) Buses use either compressed natural gas, electric batteries, or a combination of both. In the past, diesel buses also ran until retirement, and Daewoo buses measuring 12 m (39 ft 4+7⁄16 in) in length and Iveco articulated buses measuring 18 m (59 ft 11⁄16 in) in length were in service on trunk buses from 2004 until 2014.

The South Korean animated children's television series Tayo the Little Bus,^[3] which is available on Hulu, Netflix and on many stations throughout the world,^[4] is based on Seoul's bus system. Each of the four main characters is a different color (type) of bus, with the title character Tayo being a blue/trunk bus.^[3]

• Seoul
• Seoul Subway
• T-money: Transportation Card System
• Upass (South Korea): Transportation Card System
• Transportation in Bundang
• Incheon Buses [ko]
• Gyeonggi Buses [ko]
• Busan Buses [ko]
• Daejeon Buses [ko]
• List of Seoul Bus routes [ko]

• Seoul Bus homepage (in Korean)

v t e Public transportation in Seoul Metropolitan Area
Railways	Main Gyeongbu Gyeongwon Gyeongui Jungang Gyeongchun Gyeongin AREX High-speed rail Gyeongbu HSR Honam HSR Suseo–Pyeongtaek HSR Metropolitan Subway      Line 1      Line 2      Line 3      Line 4      Line 5      Line 6      Line 7      Line 8      Line 9      Incheon Line 1      Incheon Line 2 Suburban railways      Gyeongui–Jungang Line      Gyeongchun Line      Suin–Bundang Line      Gyeonggang Line      Seohae Line      Shinbundang Line      AREX      Incheon Airport Maglev Light Metro      U Line      EverLine      Ui LRT      Gimpo Goldline      Sillim Line Under construction GTX A (2023) Sinansan (2023) Dongbuk (S3) (2024) Planned Seoul LRT lines Myeonmok (S4) (2028) Seobu (S5) (2026) Mok-dong (S6) (2028) Wirye–Sinsa (S7) (2024) Dongtan–Indeogwon (2021) Wirye (2024) Gangbukhoengdan (2027) GTX B GTX C Incheon 3 Main stations Seoul Yongsan Yeongdeungpo Cheongnyangni Suseo Sangbong
Roads	Expressways Gyeongbu (1) () Seohaean (15) Pyeongtaek-Paju (17) Sejong-Pocheon (29) Seoul-Yangyang (60) Seoul Ring (100) Gyeongin (120) Incheon International Airport (130) Yongin-Seoul (171) National roads #1 #3 #6 #39 #43 #46 #47 #48 #77 Local roads #23 #78 Urban expressways Bukbu Dongbu Gangbyeon Gangnam Nambu Naebu Olympic Seobu City routes #20 #21 () #30 #31 #41 () #50 #51 #60 #61 #70 #71 #88 #90 #92 #94
Buses	Areas Seoul Gyeonggi-do [ko] Incheon [ko] Major terminals Seoul Express Bus Terminal Central City Dong Seoul Bus Terminal Sangbong Intercity Bus Terminal [ko] Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal [ko]
Airports	Incheon International Seoul Station City Airport Terminal Gimpo International Seoul Airfield
Related topics	T-money Upass Mybi KTX Family Card hi-pass CashBee [ko]