Busan Uses AI to Catch Risky Escalator Behavior Before Accidents

BUSAN — The city of Busan is building a smart safety system that uses artificial intelligence to detect risky behavior by escalator riders in real time and warn them before accidents occur.

The city said on the 26th that it would hold a demonstration of the AI-based smart escalator safety platform at Centum City Station on Busan Metro Line 2, together with the Korea Elevator Safety Agency and Busan Transportation Corporation, and begin verifying how the system works in the field.

Using AI video analysis, the platform detects five types of risky behavior — failing to hold the handrail, walking or running, leaning out, moving against the direction of travel, and using strollers or luggage — and immediately triggers warning lights and voice announcements on site to prompt riders to follow safety rules.

Busan is shifting to prevention-focused escalator safety management because the risk of accidents is relatively high. According to the National Elevator Information Center, South Korea had 885,928 elevators and escalators as of 2025, of which 41,935 were escalators. Busan has 55,108 such units, the third-largest total in the country, including 3,359 escalators, or 6.1% of all its units.

Over the past decade, escalator accidents nationwide averaged 22.5 per year, and the accident rate relative to the number of units was more than double that of passenger elevators. In Busan, 15 of the 28 elevator and escalator accidents over the past five years, or 54%, occurred on escalators. Rider carelessness, such as walking or running and not holding the handrail, was cited as a main cause.

Starting with Centum City Station, Busan plans to closely analyze the results of the pilot before deciding whether to expand the system. In particular, it aims to upgrade the system so that it can link in real time with an integrated control center and allow a rapid initial response when accidents such as falls or reverse movement occur.

Another advantage is that the platform was developed to work with existing escalators without changing their structure. According to the city, it can be applied to existing lifting equipment without major facility modifications, giving it a foundation to expand to subway stations and other high-traffic facilities.

Busan also plans to advance the technology through a public-private-academic partnership involving the Korea Elevator Safety Agency, Busan Transportation Corporation, private companies and universities, and to promote a culture of safe use, such as standing in two lines on escalators.

"This is the first step in field verification to prevent escalator accidents by applying advanced AI technology to public transit safety," said Kim Hyo-sook, head of Busan's Housing and Building Bureau. "We will work closely with related agencies to improve the system and create an environment where citizens can use escalators safely."