A new wave is sweeping through the bus industry these days. Leading the way are friendly service initiatives, followed by cleanliness, safe driving, and even environmentally friendly natural gas buses. Now, one more thing is being added: All-Over Bus Wraps! These so-called all-over wraps not only offer a new design and plenty of visual appeal, but also bring advertising revenue to bus companies—truly a golden egg with multiple benefits.
Let’s take a closer look at what exactly all-over advertising is, why it has become a hot topic in the bus industry, and how it is actually implemented.
New Advertising, New Design – All-Over Bus Wraps
Direction: BusLife
Written by: Vehicle Analysis Team – Kim Jeong-min
Data Support: Jinhwa Transportation Co., Ltd. Suseo Depot
Published: September 20, 2001
1. Currently in Progress
As seen in the photo above, the bus exterior has been transformed into a bright, colorful design. It’s not the kind of bus appearance we’ve been used to seeing. Was this all done with paint?
How is such a graphic design created? It’s easiest to think of it as a type of sticker. Imagine a printed film with the artwork already on it, applied to the surface of the bus as an all-over wrap.
The photo on the left shows the installation process. The design is printed and cut precisely to size, then applied to the bus. It’s a surprisingly labor-intensive process. And although we call it a sticker, it’s not just any sticker—it’s perforated. In other words, the window film is covered with countless tiny holes.
Later, we’ll show another photo, but take a close look at the bus’s windows. You’ll notice a semi-transparent effect, with the inside faintly visible.
From a passenger’s perspective, the main concern is obvious—if you wrap the windows, won’t it block the outside view? But as the photo shows, you can still see outside with a semi-transparent effect. In reality, the view from inside is much clearer than you might expect.
Looking at the photo on the left, it becomes clear. This picture was taken from inside a fully wrapped advertising bus. From the outside, people see the printed ad, but from inside, the scenery outside is still visible.
If you look very closely, you’ll notice the tiny holes (though not visible in the photo on the left). These perforations in the window film allow passengers to see out, so there’s no major problem for sightseeing.
Kingsmen
The company producing this advertising is Kingsmen, headquartered in Singapore, with branches in 12 countries including China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Taiwan. They handle all-over bus advertising in Singapore and other parts of the world, and are now spearheading the introduction of all-over wraps in Korea.
We had the opportunity to interview Team Leader Choi Dong-won, who is in charge of all-over advertising in Korea.
“Our company has branches worldwide, and each branch is responsible for all-over bus wraps in its country. In Korea, this concept is still unfamiliar, but in most developed countries, it’s already widespread. In September, an official survey will be conducted, and by December, a decision will be made on whether to operate them permanently. The cost per bus is about 3.5 to 5 million KRW, depending on the design. During this trial period, Kingsmen Korea is covering all the costs.
The installation work is done jointly by Singaporean and Korean technicians. Since Korean staff are still gaining experience, their work takes longer compared to the Singaporean technicians. However, once the system is officially adopted, I believe Korean technicians will eventually surpass them in skill.”
Currently, Seoul City is in the trial stage. Here’s how the process unfolded:
Aug 2000 – Kingsmen Ad submits materials on all-over bus wraps to the Seoul Bus Association.
Oct 2000 – Trial operation plan and design proposal submitted in consultation with the association.
Dec 2000 – Seoul Bus Association proposes all-over wraps to Seoul City.
Apr 2001 – Seoul City announces it as part of its “Comprehensive Measures for Management Improvement” through advertising revenue expansion.
Jun 2001 – First trial bus (Route 83-1, Jinhwa Transportation Suseo Depot) launched, marking the start of the trial run.
Currently, 1 bus is operating on each of 10 different routes in Seoul (total 10 buses).
3. All-Over Bus Wraps
Korea’s bus industry is currently facing a serious crisis. Despite efforts to cater to increasingly demanding passengers, revenues are declining, and recovery will not happen overnight.
Advertising inside and outside buses has always helped companies financially. The new all-over advertising is expected to bring even greater economic benefits.
In Japan, where most city buses are publicly operated and running large deficits, the introduction of all-over wraps has significantly reduced losses and supported bus operations.
The Seoul trial is scheduled to run until around December this year. After the trial, the decision on official operation will depend on a passenger survey (planned for September).
Currently, all trial buses carry transportation card advertisements in a total of six different design variations.
We spoke to a driver currently operating one of the trial buses.
“I’ve been driving buses for about 10 years, and I feel honored to be operating this trial all-over wrapped bus. Since it’s on trial and attracts a lot of public attention, there’s absolutely no room for reckless or illegal driving. My usual schedule is every 3 minutes, but for this bus, it takes over 7 minutes. In my view, the trial has already achieved results—transportation card usage has noticeably increased, and students in particular show a lot of interest. Some people wait over an hour just to ride this bus, or even take it in the opposite direction just to try it. Since you can still see outside clearly, passengers are comfortable, and it’s great to have a new city attraction. I hope more buses will adopt this system.”
We also visited Jinhwa Transportation’s Suseo Depot to hear from the operating company’s perspective.
“Our depot has one profitable route and one that’s not as profitable. If all-over wraps become permanent, we plan to place ads on the deficit route to reduce losses, as is done in Japan. Our view is positive. However, we have had incidents where parts of the wrap were torn off, requiring extensive repairs. Although we’ve restored the bus, we hope such incidents don’t happen again. Each bus costs about 5 million KRW to produce, so damaging them is unacceptable. If permanent operation is approved, vandalizing the wraps will be punishable by law. We ask everyone to respect them.”
In Conclusion
All-over bus wraps are undoubtedly a new attempt. They can provide additional revenue for struggling bus companies, offer advertisers high-impact exposure, and add a new visual attraction to the city.
However, challenges exist—even during the trial period, vandalism has been an issue. Despite company efforts to protect the wraps, there have been cases of scratches or torn sections. This raises concerns about public awareness and responsibility.
Passengers often have many demands—punctual schedules, polite service, clean buses—but how many also consider their own behavior? Damaging ads, spitting on the floor, or leaving trash behind all undermine the service they expect.
Most passengers are respectful, and Korea’s civic awareness is improving. But alongside demands for better service, it’s worth reflecting on how we use public transport ourselves.
Even when legal penalties are in place, the key is not fear of punishment, but a voluntary commitment to respect the buses and the ads. All-over bus wraps deserve attention and care, so they can settle in as a positive, lasting part of the urban landscape.
