Riding the 'Autonomous Taxi' in Gangnam, Oh Se-hoon Says "Feels Like a Human is Driving"

Autonomous Taxi 'RoboRide' First Pilot Drive in Gangnam
"Sangam, Cheonggyecheon, and Gangnam to Become Autonomous Vehicle Hubs"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon waves his hand while riding in the autonomous vehicle 'RoboRide' at the test service ride event held on the 9th at the Hyundai AutoEver building on Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] "The traffic system is complex and the population flow is heavy, but it exceeded expectations right in the heart of Gangnam's downtown. It was so natural that it was no different from a person actually driving."

On the 9th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon shared his impressions after riding the autonomous taxi 'RoboRide' for about 20 minutes around the Gangnam area. Mayor Oh said, "If you are not conscious of it, it was so natural that you cannot distinguish between autonomous driving and actual human driving," adding, "It was truly an amazing experience." On that day, around 10 a.m., when traffic volume was high, he departed from the Hyundai AutoEver building in Gangnam-gu and drove a total of 3.4 km through Posco Intersection, Seolleung Station, and the Renaissance Hotel.

Starting this August, a total of four autonomous taxis will begin operating for citizens in Gangnam. This is the second operation following the first autonomous taxi service launched in February in Sangam-dong, Seoul. While the autonomous taxis operating in Sangam run as shuttles along fixed routes, in Gangnam, the taxis autonomously find the shortest real-time route based on the passenger's departure and destination, making it similar to an actual taxi.

Mayor Oh said, "Whenever I hear about advanced technology news from places like Phoenix, Arizona, USA, I have not always felt at ease," emphasizing, "Now, the experiment of robot taxis has finally started right in the heart of our city." He continued, "We will expand autonomous taxis throughout Gangnam within this year, and by equipping intelligent transportation systems on all roads across Seoul as soon as possible, Seoul will surely be recognized as ahead of New York, London, and Paris."

He also stressed that institutional support for the commercialization of autonomous taxis will not be spared. Through Facebook on the same day, Mayor Oh said, "Last November, we announced the Autonomous Driving Future Version 2030 and, in line with that, have been providing essential traffic signal information for autonomous driving in the Gangnam area," adding, "We are also working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to designate Gangnam as an 'Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone' to provide institutional backing."

He expressed expectations, saying, "In the future, not only RoboRide but also autonomous buses circulating in Gangnam will be introduced, creating Gangnam as a hub for autonomous vehicles along with Sangam-dong and Cheonggyecheon, accelerating the commercialization of urban autonomous driving," and added, "Following Sangam and Gangnam, autonomous buses running around Cheonggyecheon will start operating within 2 to 3 months, and by the end of the year, these buses will be connected all the way to the Blue House."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.