Public sector and hi-tech transport team up

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has recently announced an exciting new collaboration between scientists in Liverpool and South Korea, aimed at revolutionising the region’s bus transportation system.

This innovative partnership will focus on creating a digital twin of the transport system to enhance bus journey times and connectivity throughout the region. By accurately modelling various scenarios, the digital twins will enable the implementation of route changes and fare reductions, ultimately encouraging more people to utilise bus services.

Utilising cutting-edge modelling techniques and real-time vehicle location data, digital twins will play a crucial role in reducing transport inequalities for the hundreds of passengers who rely on the city-region’s bus network daily. Currently, buses account for approximately 82% of public transport journeys in the Liverpool city-region.

Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed his vision for providing faster, cheaper, safer, and more reliable journeys for residents across the Liverpool City Region. The city has already taken steps towards achieving this vision by reclaiming control of buses, capping fares, and introducing the country’s most advanced local trains, all of which are publicly owned.

Prior to his re-election, Mayor Rotheram pledged to leverage cutting-edge digital twin technology to enhance planning and public services throughout the region. This latest collaboration with partners in South Korea and the University of Liverpool marks the first step towards realising this pledge and making data-driven decisions to deliver a world-class transport system for residents.

This partnership follows last year’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Mayor, strengthening the relationship between Liverpool and South Korea and reinforcing efforts to promote cooperation in digital innovation, smart cities, net zero initiatives, clean energy, and health.

Professor Jinuk Hwang from the Department of Urban Planning and Engineering at Pusan National University expressed his enthusiasm for being part of this innovative project, which represents a significant advancement towards more intelligent and equitable transport systems. Leveraging expertise in transportation planning and analysis, Professor Hwang’s team will play a pivotal role in developing evidence-based strategies to enhance urban mobility in both Busan, Korea and Liverpool, UK.

Funding for this groundbreaking project is provided as part of the UK Research and Innovation Innovate UK: UK-South Korea Collaborative R&D programme, highlighting the importance of international collaboration in driving innovation and sustainable transport solutions.

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