Mobile Phone Data for Optimizing Bus Routes in Korea

The Data and Statistics division of Seoul’s metropolitan government analyzed late night call records provided by the Korean telecom KT Company to plan bus routes in a more inclusive manner.

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South Korea

This research redirected Seoul’s Owl Bus service, buses that operate late at night, to focus more on women’s security and low-income groups. As explained by the Data Impacts website, “Since 2012, Seoul’s “Owl Bus” service has saved the city’s lower-income groups approximately $1.2 million by providing more affordable transportation using cell phone data to plan late night bus routes.”