Express and intercity buses: up 9% since Oct. 1, 2026, and what it costs
The fare cap for express and intercity buses rose 9% on October 1, 2026, the first increase in three years. Seoul-Busan examples and booking tips.
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Since October 1, 2026, express buses (고속버스) and intercity buses (시외버스) cost about 9% more. It is the first increase since July 2023. Here is what was decided, what it means on Seoul-Busan and how to avoid unpleasant surprises.
What changed
The Ministry of Transport announced on August 26 that the fare cap for intercity buses and express buses would rise by 9% each from October 1. Operators are therefore raising their prices accordingly (SBS News, Yonhap). The last increase was in July 2023, at 5%.
The industry had asked for far more: 17% for intercity and 20.1% for express. The ministry settled on 9%, taking into account the burden on riders (Seoul Economic Daily, Chosunbiz). It cites rising wages and fuel costs, and ridership that has not returned to its pre-2019 level: about 270,000 passengers per day on intercity buses in 2025 versus 540,000 in 2019, and 58,000 versus 83,000 on express buses. Routes fell by 4.7% (intercity) and 21% (express).
What it costs
The 9% applies to a cap, not to every ticket: each route has its own fare, rounded to the nearest hundred wons. Two travel sites recorded the KOBUS fare table (the express bus booking service) in early October for Seoul (Gyeongbu) - Busan, adult, one way:
| Category | Before | Since October 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (일반고속) | 26,700 wons | 29,100 wons |
| Premium "우등" | 39,700 wons | 43,300 wons |
| Prestige (프리미엄) | n/a | 56,200 wons |
Night trips carry a surcharge. To estimate another route, multiply the old price by 1.09: 20,000 wons becomes about 21,800 wons, 30,000 wons about 32,700 wons. On a Seoul-Busan round trip in premium, the increase comes to about 7,200 wons per person.
What this means for you
- Compare with the train. On long routes, a premium or prestige bus comes close to the price of a train ticket, which is faster. Check both before booking.
- The price on screen is what counts. The fare depends on the route, category, time and departure terminal. Check the amount right before paying.
- If you already bought a ticket in September, a blog citing a KOBUS notice from September 22 says the old fare remains valid, but a change of schedule or category after October 1 applies the new one. This point should be confirmed on KOBUS.
- Group trip budget: the difference multiplies by the number of people and by the round trip. For four people on Seoul-Busan in standard, expect about 19,000 wons more in total.
In Dari
In DariCompare trains and book your trip In DariFind bus terminals on the map In DariConvert prices into wonsSources
- Seoul Economic Daily, fare caps +9% (Aug. 26, 2026)
- SBS News English, intercity and express bus fare increase (Aug. 26, 2026)
- Chosunbiz, 9% increase (Aug. 26, 2026)
- Korea JoongAng Daily, intercity and express buses (Aug. 27, 2026)
- Korea.kr, Ministry of Transport press release (Aug. 26, 2026)
- Yonhap, increase effective Oct. 1 (Sept. 30, 2026)
- Wave2Trip, Seoul-Busan fares recorded on KOBUS (Oct. 6, 2026)
- Naver blog beeofs, KOBUS fare table after the increase (Oct. 1, 2026)
Sources
- Seoul Economic Daily, plafonds des tarifs +9 % · checked on 26 August 2026
- SBS News English, hausse des bus interurbains et express · checked on 26 August 2026
- Chosunbiz, hausse de 9 % · checked on 26 August 2026
- Korea JoongAng Daily, bus interurbains et express · checked on 27 August 2026
- Korea.kr (ministère des Transports), communiqué sur les plafonds · checked on 26 August 2026
- Yonhap, hausse effective au 1er octobre · checked on 30 September 2026
- Wave2Trip, tarifs Séoul-Busan relevés sur KOBUS · checked on 6 October 2026
- Blog Naver beeofs, grille KOBUS après la hausse · checked on 1 October 2026