Digital Economy and Industry Development www.sdf.seoul.kr Analysis on the Status of Nighttime Transportation to Improve Citizen Mobility Kim Si jeong and Lee Jae-ho et al. December 2018 SEOUL SMART CITY Research Team Person in Charge of Research Kim Si jeong (Principal Researcher, Seoul Digital Foundation) Lee Jae-ho (Director of Digital Economy Institute, Kakao Mobility) Co-researchers Baek Su-jin (Senior Researcher, Seoul Digital Foundation) Kim Jeong-min (Researcher, Kakao Mobility Data Lab) CONTENTS Ⅰ. Overview 01 1. Context and Purpose 01 2. Study Methodology and Composition of Report 05 Ⅱ. The Issue of Citizen Nighttime Mobility in Seoul Metropolitan Government 07 1. Limitations in Citizen Nighttime Mobility 07 2. Limitations in Nighttime Mobility as an Urban Issue 15 Ⅲ. Nighttime Mobility-Related Issues in Seoul Metropolitan Government Based on Texts 19 1. Overview of Analysis 19 1) Analysis Method 19 2) Analysis Target 20 2. Categorization of Nighttime Mobility-Related Issues 21 3. Analysis of Key Issues Related to Nighttime Transportation 28 1) Issues Relating to Passenger Refusal by Taxis on Main Streets 28 2) Issues Relating to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Night Bus Service (Owl Buses) 32 3) Conclusion 37 Ⅳ. Big Data Analysis of the Imbalance in Nighttime Transportation 39 1. Overview of Analysis 39 2. The Status of Nighttime Transportation Imbalance in Seoul Metropolitan Government 42 3. In-depth Analysis on Areas with a Severe Imbalance 50 1) In-depth Analysis of the Gangnam Station Area 51 2) In-depth Analysis of the Jongno Area 54 3) In-depth Analysis of the Hongik Univ. Area 57 4) In-depth Analysis on the Itaewon Area 59 4. Comparison with Current Nighttime Transportation Service in Areas of Severe Imbalance 64 Ⅴ. Implications 73 Bibliography 78 Ⅰ. Overview 1. Context and Purpose With the growing level of interest in and the increasing value being placed on maintaining a work-life balance, as of late, the trend of people who enjoy a variety of social and economic activities after the workday is also growing, in opposition to the concept that the end of the workday is the end of the day. In particular, the 52-hour work week system has further encouraged individuals to perform a wider variety of leisure and cultural activities after work and, accordingly, nighttime mobility, such as transportation for leisure activities, is expected to increase. The increase in citizen demand and expectations for “life after work” is expected to result in their increased demand for improved convenience and enhanced mobility for transportation in order to return home at night. Public transportation is one of the main means of transportation used by citizens. According to daily average transportation distribution, which shows the transportation means used by the citizens of Seoul Metropolitan Government over the course of a day, the rate of using public transportation is 65% or higher (bus, subway, and railroad). This result indicates that citizen dependence on public transportation is high. However, from 23:00 to 04:00, the time during which buses, subways, and railroad services are not available, citizens inevitably have to rely on taxis or their own cars as their main mode of transportation. So, how effectively does the nighttime taxi service satisfy citizen demand for transportation? In the past, the amount of demand for taxi service was estimated mainly on the basis of the load factor. In particular, time load factor is the ratio of taxis operating while carrying passengers to the total hours of operation. The 01 Analysis on the Status of Nighttime Transportation to Improve Citizen Mobility demand for taxi service is calculated by multiplying the time load factor with the total number of taxis supplied (Ahn Gi-jeong, 2014). In other words, the demand for taxi service is calculated with only the passengers who have completed boarding taxis out of the number of taxis supplied. Therefore, the supply of taxi service always exceeds the demand and, as a result, the demand for taxi service at nighttime is not reflected. Time Load Factor = Operating hours (while carrying passengers) / operating hours (while carrying passengers + without passengers) x 100 Demand for the Taxi Service = Time load factor x number of taxis supplied There is another method used to estimate the amount of taxi service insufficiency at nighttime. According to estimates of Seoul Metropolitan Government, the amount of taxi service insufficiency at nighttime is approximately 6,800 taxis1. As such, the volume of citizen demand for mobility at nighttime cannot be sufficiently met via the means of taxi service. This study therefore looked at how the limitations of citizen mobility at night were recognized in the public sector and by individuals and analyzed this issue in detail. In addition, as a basis for establishing a plan to improve citizen mobility at nighttime, the status of the supply and demand of nighttime taxi service was analyzed. In particular, in analyzing the actual status of limitations in citizen mobility, a focus was placed on the “demand of citizens who could not use taxi services even though they wanted to” at nighttime, during which use of public transportation, such as buses, subways, and railroads, is limited. However, data clearly indicating the actual demand for taxi services, in other words, citizens who are trying to catch a cab, was insufficient. To overcome this insufficiency data on private taxi application services, which have become more active recently, were used in this study. Data on the “taxi call” services provided by mobility applications, information regarding when passengers 1 There is a shortage of taxis for night-time service in Seoul by 6,800, how do we solve this?, Yonhap News Agency, Nov. 2, 2017. 02 Ⅰ. Overview wish to travel using taxis, and passenger departure and arrival locations can be obtained and, in turn, this information enables more refined estimates of demand for taxi service. Kakao T has the largest market share among taxi applications; 83% of 270,000 registered taxi drivers across the country are subscribed to this service. As for the users, it is assumed that 16.92 million, which is approximately 45% of the country’s working-age population, have used this service. Therefore, data from Kakao T was considered appropriate for use in the estimation of citizen demand for nighttime mobility. ❘Fig. Ⅰ-1❘ Status of Taxi Application (Kakao T) Service Use Source: Kakao Mobility (2018) This study was conducted with the goal of determining actual citizen demand for nighttime mobility using the data in question and to examine the issue of citizens' limited mobility at night through an analysis of whether or not the current supply of nighttime transportation meets demand. Additionally, this research is intended to help seek a direction for various policies to determine the status of the issue and make improvements. The “Owl Buses” are a network of buses operated during the night that was introduced by Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2013 based on big data analysis, and it has been receiving attention as an example of a successful 03 Analysis on the Status of Nighttime Transportation to Improve Citizen Mobility policy in Korea and abroad. It drew attention because it expanded means of public transportation available for nighttime use--which had previously been limited to taxi service--based on big data analysis. In other words, it was well regarded as a policy developed on the basis of big data to resolve inconvenience and satisfy citizen complaints within the scope of existing public transportation policies and systems. This study also estimates the demand for nighttime taxi service, which is not being met by existing public transportation means, and searches for a new direction for policies that would meet demand. Thus, this study is expected to bring about the chance to prepare a basis for further data-based policy development and from which to resolve urban issues. 04 Ⅰ. Overview 2. Study Methodology and Composition of Report This study is comprised largely in four parts: first, the current issues of the society in relation to citizen nighttime mobility being limited is defined and examined in detail through a review of prior research. Then, the status of the issue is analyzed in detail, such as how often the issue occurs and in which areas, based on private transportation data. Using these analysis results, implications for resolving the issue of limited nighttime mobility are derived. In order to comprehensively begin an analysis of the issue of limited citizen nighttime mobility, it was first defined as an urban issue. Conceptually, the issue was approached, based on prior studies, with the question of whether or not the issue of limited nighttime mobility is an issue that needs to be resolved by the public sector. Then, a frame for analyzing the issue was established based on the subjective and objective elements that make the issue of limited nighttime mobility as an urban issue. Second, the current status of limited nighttime mobility was analyzed. Through an analysis on unstructured data from press reports, such as major daily newspapers and broadcasts, as well as SNS and public and private platforms, pending and detailed issues that comprise the discussion of limited nighttime mobility were derived. Third, the status of night taxi service operations was analyzed based on data gathered from Kakao T service. Using data from actual taxi service users who have called, boarded, and traveled in taxis, the status of the issue concerning citizen nighttime mobility was analyzed. The areas with severe imbalances in nighttime mobility were determined and, through in-depth analysis on each region, the characteristics of the regions and the destinations at which citizens experienced the most inconvenience in traveling were analyzed. Fourth, based on the discourse so far, the order of priority for areas to be improved with regard to citizen nighttime mobility and the areas which need enhanced convenience, as well as the scope of the problem and the ways in which it will be resolved, were derived.