In Seoul, a distance that takes 1 hour by car took 1 hour 12 minutes 36 seconds by public transit. The gap in travel time between public transit and cars was the smallest among the nation's 17 metropolitan and provincial regions. In contrast, in South Chungcheong, traveling the same distance by public transit required 1 hour 52 minutes 48 seconds more than by car.
According to the report "Analysis of the relationship between urban indicators and public transit use" that the Smart Transportation Research Office of the Seoul Institute released on the 2nd, Seoul's public transit time ratio (PCTR) was 1.21.
PCTR is an indicator showing how much longer public transit takes compared with car travel time. If the times for the two modes are the same, it is 1; if public transit takes twice as long as a car, it is indicated as 2. A lower figure means public transit has stronger time competitiveness.
Seoul Institute research fellow Han Young-jun and researcher Jeong Sang-mi set local government administrative offices, such as city, county, and district offices, as key points and examined at least 25 routes per region. They compared the optimal travel times suggested by Naver Map on the same date and time for cars and public transit and calculated the averages.
Busan had the next-lowest PCTR after Seoul at 1.46. That means a route that takes 1 hour by car takes about 1 hour 28 minutes by public transit. Incheon was 1.54, Gwangju 1.76, Jeju 1.77, and Gyeonggi 1.82. Daegu was 1.97, and Gangwon was found to be 2.00.
South Chungcheong had the longest public transit travel time. With a PCTR of 2.88, a distance that takes 1 hour by car required about 2 hours 52 minutes 48 seconds by public transit. South Jeolla was also high at 2.66. North Jeolla was 2.36, North Chungcheong 2.35, Ulsan 2.20, South Gyeongsang 2.19, North Gyeongsang 2.13, and Daejeon 2.05.
The gap between major cities and provincial areas was clear. Most special and metropolitan cities were below 2 in PCTR, but many general provincial areas exceeded 2. The Seoul Institute analyzed that in large cities where urban functions are concentrated, public transit infrastructure such as rail and buses is dense, so travel time to destinations is relatively short.
Travel time also affected actual public transit use. A comparison of the country's 17 metropolitan and provincial regions showed that the higher the PCTR, the lower the public transit usage rate tended to be. This means the more time public transit takes than cars, the less residents used buses or rail.
The more rail stations, bus stops, and buses there were, the more public transit users there were. Cities with higher population density and a higher share of workers in the total population also had higher public transit mode shares. Conversely, the higher the proportion of older adults, the lower the public transit mode share tended to be.
Similar results were found in overseas cities. In Melbourne, Australia, when the number of subway stations per unit area increased by 10%, per capita public transit trips rose by 4.1%. In Salvador, Brazil, if PCTR improved by 15%, public transit trips were projected to increase by 13.1%.
The Seoul Institute conducted this study based on population, economic, and transportation data from Korea's 17 metropolitan and provincial regions and 91 cities in 55 countries overseas. It also analyzed how living costs, public transit infrastructure, travel times by mode, and car regulation policies affect public transit usage rates.
The research team said, "Changes in key city indicators can have a tangible impact on public transit demand," and noted, "Rather than applying the same policy nationwide, policies should be designed differently to match city structure, demographic characteristics, and the level of transportation infrastructure."