PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — The wait for a bus at Camp Humphreys is about to get shorter.
Post officials got the OK on Tuesday to hire six new drivers, and that should put more buses on the road by June, said Clarence F. Slawson, U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys director of logistics.
The wait for a bus, at any time of day, should drop to about 10 minutes, he said.
Currently, the wait is 15 minutes or more during peak hours and 20 to 30 minutes off-peak. Peak bus hours are 7 to 9 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and 4:30 to 6 p.m.
The added buses will benefit the hundreds of soldiers who live off-post and are forbidden to own cars because they’re in pay grades E-6 and below.
“They rely heavily on our bus service,” Slawson said.
The buses cover an eight-mile route around the Humphreys perimeter. They run from 5:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, with a modified schedule on weekends.
There are two routes — “red” and “blue” — that make the same stops but run in opposite directions. Both routes start and end at the walk-in gate.
The move to hire extra drivers is part of an ongoing effort to meet the post’s transportation needs.
Garrison officials sought permission in October for the hires, but funding didn’t become available until recently.
In July they doubled peak-hours bus service.
“Bus service has always been an issue to the community,” Slawson said. “More is always better.”
