On November 26, KAIST announced that a non-profit project team called GoGeeks would run the “Surprise Bus” program starting from December 12. “Surprise Bus” is a surprise voluntary service bus program that does not inform the volunteer passengers of the destination and the kind of volunteering service they will be engaged in.

The program benchmarked the “Do Good Bus” program in the U.S., which keeps its rides a secret to the volunteers in order to not only add an element of fun but also to prevent volunteers from having any pre-conceived ideas about the cause the program will be helping. According to the “Do Good Bus” website, “This allows volunteers to show up with an open mind ready to help.”

GoGeeks designed the program to help people in need, in Seoul and the Gyeonggi region for the imminent Christmas season. The program will run from 12p.m. to 6:30 p.m.. Volunteers will meet at Sadang Station in Seoul. The volunteers will get on one of the five buses of their choice, after having been checked for their identities; each bus heads to a different destination. When the buses arrive at their respective destinations, the volunteers will then be told what kind of service they will participate in. After four hours of volunteer service, they will be given certificates and will attend a networking party organized by GoGeeks.

GoGeeks CEO Bum Kyu Lee expects the “Surprise Bus” to be “an awesome experience in the volunteers’ lives, especially with the addition of the element of surprise to the concept of social service.” He added, “I hope people who do intend to volunteer but have no idea what kind of service they want to do participate in this program.”

The application for the “Surprise Bus” had to be submitted online on the official GoGeeks website (http://gogeeks.co.kr/) by December 5. A total 150 volunteers will be selected on a first come, first served basis. Financial support has been offered by Tumblbug, an online social funding website, and the GoGeeks official website.