5.45 million people. That’s the number of daily subway riders in Seoul. To support commuters who battle the daily rush hour, Naver and T-map are enhancing their public transport services, shifting towards Mobility as a Service (MaaS), providing more than just simple navigation.
The first to strike the chord is Naver. They have launched a destination alert service for public transport users. When a user is traveling from Seoul Station to Gangnam Station, various travel routes and estimated times are calculated. The service provides guidance for the public transport options users prefer, such as subways or buses.
To get from Seoul Station to Gangnam Station, users need to take Line 4 towards Oido and transfer to Line 2 at Sadang Station. The destination alert service vocally notifies users a station before they need to disembark, helping them avoid missing transfer points or their stop. Additionally, it offers information about entrance doors near transfer paths, reducing user movement and confusion.
Naver emphasized that they will continue to strengthen services for users.
T-map Mobility is also pushing for enhancements in public transport services. Currently, T-map operates a standalone public transport app separate from the main T-map application. However, by the first half of next year, T-map’s public transport services will be integrated into the T-map app as an all-in-one solution. Users will soon receive detailed information such as subway maps and bus arrival alerts right within the T-map application.
In connection with this initiative, T-map conducted a survey for users asking for suggestions on desired improvements to the T-map public transport service. Additionally, T-map Mobility announced that they are currently testing an all-in-one T-map within the company, with plans to release this integrated service soon.
Written by Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr