Even with public transportation options, many people still choose to drive. While driving can be more direct and you don't need to share your personal space, traffic jams make this option very slow. Taxis are also very expensive compared to public transportation. Because of different charges such as weekend charges and peak hour charges, one ride could vary between ₩20,000 ($16) and ₩40,000 ($33).
If a destination is close by, most people will choose to walk or take a bike ride. There are no designated lanes for bicycles in Seoul, so pedestrians have to share the sidewalks with the cyclists! Something that I have noticed since I got here is that the sidewalks are wider. This is because, even though there are public transportation options, people still need to walk to get to their destinations. And with more people walking, it means that crosswalks give you more time to cross. Fun fact: there are diagonal crosswalks in Seoul!
I love the metro. It is my absolute favorite way to get around. I was uncomfortable, at first, with how close everyone stands inside these trains, but I am slowly getting used to this fact. My friends and I have even developed a way to stand where we can keep our personal space! We call it "Square Up" because we will stand in a square with all of our bags in the middle. Squaring up also helps to make sure no one gets lost in the flood of people trying to get on or off of the carriage!
When it comes to buses, cars, and taxis, the drivers here are too erratic. Coming from a small town, where there was no need to rush to change lanes, here the driver is forced to suddenly break, or be tempted to speed through a light.
