Skip to main content

Seoul adds autonomous bus to city's public transportation network

Following 11-month pilot, it will run on a 2.6km route in Korean capital
By Adam Hill July 9, 2024 Read time: 1 min
The Cheongwadae AV has five stops on a 15-minute route (image: Seoul Metropolitan Government)

Autonomous buses have been integrated into the city of Seoul's public transport system following an 11-month trial.

It costs the same as standard buses on the network, and runs at five locations every 15 minutes on a 2.6km route around some of the South Korean capital's key tourist spots between Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheongwadae and the Gyeongbokgung Station.

Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) says the bus offers free transfer to passengers with transportation cards and unlimited access for Climate Card users.

Operating Monday to Friday, it stops at Gyeongbukgung Station (Hyoja-ro Entrance), National Palace Museum of Korea (Yeongchumun Gate), Cheongwadae, Chunchumun Gate and Gyeongbokgung Palace/National Folk Museum of Korea.

The Cheongwadae AV began its pilot operation in December 2022, and SMG reported "a large number of users and a high satisfaction rate, with a total of 45,621 local and international passengers". Operation closed last November to prepare for the paid service.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Take the Tesloop instead of the plane for inter-city travel
    February 22, 2016
    Taking advantage of Tesla’s generous warranty on its Model S car, a group of young entrepreneurs from the US west coast started Tesloop, providing a travel experience they say is similar to an airline where passengers share a cabin in a plane, except that Tesloop leaves from a convenient Tesla supercharger station location. Tesloop has an expanding fleet of fully electric Tesla model vehicles that seat up to four people. It not only employs its own drivers, but also offers two types of membership to trav
  • Ohio Turnpike launches $250m modernised toll collection system
    April 12, 2024
    E-ZPass entry and exit gates have been removed at 20 toll plazas on 241-mile route
  • Five ways data can reshape transit
    April 8, 2024
    Mass transit ridership is getting back onto its feet after the dent which Covid put into the use of public transport. Now we need to continue that momentum, says Miki Szikszai of Snapper Services – and the UK can learn from examples in the rest of the world
  • Are e-scooters safe for cities?
    November 6, 2019
    Electric scooters are promoted as both a lifestyle choice and an environmentally friendly means of solving first- and last-mile challenges.