A man boards a driverless autonomous shuttle bus on Sept. 23 near Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. A test driver rides the vehicle, which lacks a driver's seat or steering wheel, but does no driving. (Lee Jeongwoo)
By Yoo Yeon Gyeong
Shuttle bus service on a self-driving vehicle with no driver's seat or steering wheel has begun official operations in Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sept. 23 said Autonomous A2Z, a domestic autonomous driving company, that day launched official operations of its self-driving bus Cheonggye A01 with purely homegrown technology.
The vehicle's interior has amenities like a large display showing self-driving status and route information as well as a wheelchair lift.
Two buses run the 4.8 km route from Cheonggye Plaza to Cheonggye 5-ga (Gwangjang Market), with a combined 11 stops in both directions. The vehicles run 11 times a day on weekdays at 30-minute intervals between 10 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. except during lunch hours.
Each bus can carry up to eight passengers, with a test driver on board at all times for safety reasons like in case of emergency. Riding is free during the initial phase and fares will be charged from the second half of next year.
dusrud21@korea.kr