Busan’s beloved “Santa Bus,” city buses decorated with Christmas ornaments and a Rudolph-like design, will not be running this holiday season after the city ordered all decorations removed over fire safety concerns.

No. 187, which transformed into a Santa Bus each December for the past nine years, has now ended that tradition following a city directive. (Instagram @jujuju3840)
No. 187, which transformed into a Santa Bus each December for the past nine years, has now ended that tradition following a city directive. (Instagram @jujuju3840)

According to bus service firm Daejin Transportation, all Christmas decorations have been removed as of Thursday.

Joo Hyung-min, the bus driver who first started Santa Bus decorations on his vehicle nine years ago, said on social media, “The company tried, but there was nothing we could do. I thought we could at least keep it running until Christmas Day, but we couldn’t.”

The themed buses began in 2006 when Joo, using his own money, started decorating his vehicle to spread holiday cheer. The idea soon expanded to multiple routes during the Yuletide month of December, and passengers left supportive sticky notes inside, adding to the experience.

The discontinuation follows a civic complaint that the decorations — many made of flammable materials such as cotton and plastic — posed a fire hazard. As a result, all Christmas and other themed decorations were removed from five routes in total: four Santa Bus routes (Nos. 187, 508, 3 and 109) and one doll-themed route (No. 41).

Busan City said the decision was unavoidable despite customer disappointments, as the decorations did not meet safety standards.

Daejin Transportation employees remove Christmas decorations from its vehicle following a city directive. (Instagram@jujuju3840)
Daejin Transportation employees remove Christmas decorations from its vehicle following a city directive. (Instagram@jujuju3840)

khnews@heraldcorp.com