The first autonomous village bus in South Korea runs on the streets of Seoul.
The village bus, which applies autonomous driving technology for the first time in the country, has begun trial operations in downtown Seoul. This advanced mode of transportation, which automatically moves the steering wheel and recognizes traffic lights to stop, sets a new milestone for the era of autonomous public transport.
On the 29th of last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will operate a "local companion autonomous driving bus" in the Dongjak District.
The Dongjak Local Companion Autonomous Driving Bus (Dongjak A01) travels a round trip along a 1.62 km route from Soongsil University's main gate through Soongsil University Entrance Station (Line 7) to the rear gate of Chungang University.
Two electric autonomous buses modified from County Electric (Hyundai) will be in operation, stopping at eight stations in both directions. The operating hours are from 10 AM to 4:10 PM on weekdays.
The service operates 14 times a day, at intervals of 20 to 25 minutes. Bus operations are temporarily suspended from 12 PM to 1:30 PM for lunch and breaks. After a two-week trial period including a user experience phase, formal operations will commence on the 14th of next month.
Until it transitions to paid transport in the first half of 2026, users can ride free of charge, but to connect with metropolitan area transfer discounts, passengers must use a transportation card to tag in and out just like regular public transport.
Yoon Jun-soo, a resident of Eunpyeong District in Seoul who participated in the trial operation, shared in an interview with KBS, "The cornering was very smooth when moving left and right, and the riding experience was great, just like that of a human driver," expressing his first impressions after riding.
This village bus is equipped with advanced systems that assess road conditions in real time using cameras and over ten sensors. While it autonomously operates the steering by recognizing the surrounding environment, a driver remains in the driver's seat to intervene in the event of unexpected situations.
An autonomous driving system prioritizing safety
Kim Myung-kyu, a manager at the autonomous driving company, explained to KBS, "We only intervene temporarily when events occur that we did not anticipate."
Especially during rain or when passing through school zones, the bus driver directly operates the steering wheel for passenger safety.
Autonomous public transportation has been trialed since 2021, primarily focusing on city buses in the Sangam-dong area, and it is currently in regular operation on some routes.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to open local companion autonomous driving buses in Dongdaemun District and Seodaemun District as early as September. While the existing late-night and early-morning companion autonomous driving buses have been managed and operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the local companion autonomous driving buses are managed directly by the autonomous districts.
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Image source: News1
