"There are no stops or stop bells" — The special rules of the Cheongsando bus that has been the feet of island residents for 42 years

Cheongsando, Wando County, Jeollanam-do. While many tour buses pass through this island boasting beautiful scenery, there is only one single route bus that is actually responsible for the daily lives of the island residents. This bus, which has served as the island's blood vessels without a single day of rest for over 40 years, creates a unique landscape rarely seen anywhere else in the world.

"There is no need for stops or stop bells"

According to an EBS documentary video, the bus in Cheongsando does not follow the grammar of general public transportation. There are no separately designated stops along the path the bus takes, and there is not even a need for a stop bell to press when getting off. Considering the characteristics of the island, where there are many elderly people with mobility issues, the place where a passenger wants to get off becomes the stop, and the place where they want to get off becomes the terminus. An interviewee in the video explains, "The fact that a person can become a stop is thanks to the 42 years of time that the driver and passengers have spent together."

The method of paying the fare is also unique. It is a method where the driver receives the fare directly from the passenger before departure; although the fare varies slightly for each section, passengers pay the fare on their own without asking. The video stated regarding this, "Because they are country gentlemen, people are pure and have the fare for their section all recognized in their heads." The bus moves back and forth between the pier and the terminus, closely linked with the ferry schedule. It is a structure where the bus waits for people so that residents getting off the ferry can board the bus immediately without waiting.

The horn sound that tells the time of the island village

The Cheongsando bus often honks its horn loudly even when the road is not blocked. This is not simply to draw attention. It is a 'signal' so that residents working in the fields can know the bus is coming without looking at a watch. According to the video, the horn sound delivers the message to the residents, "It is time to take the bus now." On the other hand, tourists from Seoul sometimes feel this sound is noisy, but to the island residents, this horn is an important sound that informs them of the rhythm of daily life.

Sometimes, unusual scenes unfold inside the bus. There are passengers who briefly get off while traveling by bus to buy food sold at the market. It is something hard to imagine for a typical route bus, but here, it is so flexible that people say, "You can even get off ten times." Rather than refusing when a passenger gets off to buy goods, the driver is deeply embedded in the residents' lives, sometimes even providing a special service of going out to meet the passenger.

42 years without holidays, a life where even family time is adjusted to the bus

For 42 years, Kim Bong-an's bus has not rested for a single day, except for his children's wedding days. Because it is the island's only public transportation, if the bus stops, the island's right to mobility is cut off. Especially for residents who are sick, this bus is like a lifeline. For residents of remote villages who have to walk long distances to go to the hospital, Kim Bong-an's bus is the most desperate existence.

This sense of responsibility also affected his personal life. Kim Bong-an's family, whose house is right in front of the bus terminus, lives according to the bus timetable. The video shared that "the 28-year-old young man who took the steering wheel has suddenly become in his 70s," mentioning the years when he could not be captured in his children's graduation photos due to the bus schedule or could not rest even during traditional holidays. However, the sight of residents boarding the bus after a tiring day at the time the last ferry arrives, saying, "I feel like I've finally come home," shows that this bus is more than just a means of transportation; it is a sanctuary for the island residents.