Seoul City and Tmoney Launch Real-Time Traffic Location Inquiry Service
Missing Persons Location Verified Through Public Transit Boarding and Alighting Records
Apply and Register via Tmoney & Pay... Location Checked Every 5 Minutes
A safety service that enables rapid response by utilizing public transportation boarding information in cases of missing children or elderly dementia patients will be launched. By being able to identify movement routes and locations based on real-time recorded public transportation boarding and alighting details, it is expected to support faster searches for missing persons.
On the 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will introduce the 'Safe Location Inquiry Service,' which uses T-money transportation card data to track the real-time location of missing children and elderly dementia patients.
Seoul City has focused on the increasing trend of missing person incidents over the past three years and the corresponding rise in disaster alert messages issued to find missing persons. Given the limitations such as unawareness of missing alert messages, this new service is expected to become a new tool to support missing person investigations.
The service targets children (ages 6 to 12) and elderly dementia patients (65 years and older). To use the service, users must sign up on the T-money Card & Pay website and apply for and register for the Safe Location Inquiry Service. Guardians and legal representatives can immediately check real-time public transportation boarding details registered on the transportation card, such as boarding and alighting vehicles, routes, and times, on the T-money website when a child or elderly dementia patient goes missing. Only records from mobile or physical T-money cards and Seoul City senior transportation cards issued by T-money can be viewed.
The greatest advantage of the service is rapid location confirmation. For metropolitan subway and Seoul buses, boarding and alighting information can be checked in 5-minute intervals on the day of use, and usage history up to 14 days prior can be confirmed. For metropolitan subway, Seoul buses, and other transportation agencies within Seoul City, boarding and alighting details can be viewed in 5-minute intervals on the day of use, while for other nationwide areas, inquiries can be made starting the day after boarding.
The 'Safe Location Inquiry Service' will undergo a two-month pilot project to improve user convenience and is scheduled to officially launch in December 2024. In the future, Seoul City plans to expand the service further through system integration with the police and the education office. Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul City Transportation Office, stated, "The Safe Location Inquiry Service is a pioneering case of innovatively utilizing transportation card data, expected to shorten the time required for investigations when children or elderly dementia patients go missing, thereby securing the golden time." He added, "We will do our best to ensure that the transportation sector contributes to strengthening the social safety net beyond just public transportation convenience."
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