Srinivasa Rao Satti (India, 36), a professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, had a most inconvenient experience when he returned home from a conference held overseas. It was one o’ clock in the morning when he finally got off the only airport limousine bus destined for SNU from Incheon Airport, Bus No. 6003. The problem was that this bus dropped him off at SNU’s main gate. After waiting for a while to catch a cab to the faculty apartment complex, which is 2kms away from the main gate, he was left with no other choice but to walk the entire distance, across the hilly campus of SNU, carrying all of his luggage himself.

“After that experience, I try to make sure my flight arrives in Seoul during the daytime. But it isn’t easy to control my flight time,” says Professor Satti. He adds he has had similar problems when he tried to catch an early morning flight.

To solve this problem, the university decided to petition for the establishment of an additional airport limousine bus line. The Administration Office recently announced that it has succeeded in its attempt, and that a new bus line will be established, starting next month.

The current Bus Line No. 6003 will still be in operation, and an additional line, Bus Line No. 6017, will be added.

Bus Line No. 6003 departs from SNU Main Gate, but it makes various stops in the area of Yeongdeong-po, and then makes an additional stop at Gimpo Airport before it finally reaches its ultimate destination, Incheon Airport. One had to endure 110 minutes of bus riding at the very least before getting a glimpse of the airport, thanks to all the indiscriminate stopping in between. The newly established line will have minimal stops, shortening the bus ride to a mere 70 minutes by taking the 88 Olympics Highway straightaway.

The new line will depart from Hoam Faculty House, thus making it all the more convenient for foreign students and faculty members who reside in the school dormitories and apartments near the rear gate. In addition, the new bus line will use buses which only accommodate 29 persons per ride, compared to the 41 passenger limo buses of the existing line, thus providing for more personal space. Members of the university community are, in general, welcoming the establishment of the new bus line which will enable them to enjoy a more comfortable and speedy trip to the airport.

It was Professor Ho Mun-Heok from the College of Law who first brought up the necessity of a new airport limousine bus line. “I found it very tiring that I should get off at the main gate and then make an additional journey in order to get to the faculty apartments,” he explains, “so I decided to talk to SNU President, Oh Yeon-Cheon about this problem.”

Accepting Professor Ho’s proposal, President Oh gave special orders to procure approval for a new bus line. Since then, the school administration has been in contact with the relevant officers at both Gwanak District Office and Seoul City Hall. After extensive negotiations with the government and bus companies, the SNU Administration Office finally received approval from the City of Seoul for the establishment of a new line on April 11.

Thanks to all the efforts made by those involved in the petition, SNU students and faculty members are now privileged to enjoy a more comfortable bus service.

Written by LEE Hee Un, SNU English Editor, gurume0221@snu.ac.kr   ?
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor