Seoul to operate self-driving buses at dawn this year

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Seoul to operate self-driving buses at dawn this year

Published: 21 Jan. 2024, 16:36 Updated: 21 Jan. 2024, 16:42

CHO JUNG-WOO
cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr

An autonomous nighttime bus begins service for the first time near Hapjeong Station in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2023. [NEWS1]

Self-driving public buses will roam Seoul at dawn later this year.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday, autonomous buses will officially ply the streets of the capital by the end of the year. The announcement comes a month after the city government started a pilot project to operate autonomous nighttime buses.

These buses travel from Hapjeong Station in western Seoul to Dongdaemun Station in eastern Seoul from 11:30 p.m. to 5:10 a.m. on weekdays.

The early morning buses will operate from as early as 3:30 a.m., about 30 minutes earlier than the usual first bus ride of the day, catering to the high demand of early workers.

Seoulites who commute in the early morning to major districts, such as Gangnam in southern Seoul and Yeouido in western Seoul, have expressed the need for earlier bus rides before 4 a.m., prompting the city government to address this demand.

The plan is part of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's stated focus on making public transportation more convenient for socially marginalized people.

The decreasing supply of bus drivers at dawn and overcrowding were some other reasons the city government began the project.

A rendered image of a self-driving public bus that will travel in Seoul at dawn later this year, provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

According to the city government, the first autonomously driven bus is expected to be No. 160, covering approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Dobongsan Station to Jongno in downtown Seoul and Yeongdeungpo Station in western Seoul.

The No. 160 often has over 50 commuters, surpassing its maximum capacity, with many standing due to the high number of passengers, the city government said.

The bus routes that will be driven autonomously will be expanded through next year, considering the demand for bus rides and congestion levels during the dawn hours. City bus Nos. 146 and 148 are also under consideration as they frequently experience crowding in the early morning.

The city government plans to build the necessary infrastructure promptly and engage in discussions with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to designate permitted areas for self-driving buses by July.

“We will focus on implementing transportation policies for socially marginalized people, given that we wholly understand the hard lives of residents who start the mornings of the city earlier than others,” said Yoon Jong-jang, the city government’s City Transportation Office, adding that the metropolitan government will implement its "best know-how to drastically improve the lives of socially marginalized people."

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]