Seoul City Unveils First 'Disabled Passenger Autonomous Vehicle' in Sangam... Autonomous Vehicles Increase from 4 to 7

Autonomous Vehicle Accessible for Wheelchair Users Unveiled... Continued Promotion of Inclusive Transportation
New Autonomous Bus Routes Added at World Cup Stadium Station, Haneul and Noeul Parks, Operating Throughout Sangam... Increased Accessibility for Citizens

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Starting from the 21st, Seoul City will increase the number of paid autonomous vehicles operating in the ‘Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Zone’ in Sangam-dong from the current 4 to 7 and begin full-scale operations. Additionally, a new route running between the subway station and Haneul and Noeul Parks will be established to not only improve transportation convenience for park visitors but also provide an opportunity for families to relax in the park while experiencing autonomous vehicles.

According to Seoul City on the 20th, two out of three newly licensed paid autonomous vehicles will be deployed on the newly established Sangam A21 and Sangam A03 routes, which operate between the subway station and the entrances of Haneul and Noeul Parks. The Sangam A21 and Sangam A03 routes cover the same section, running a total of 7.8 km from World Cup Stadium Station to Guryong Intersection, Haneul Park Entrance, Nanji Stream Park Entrance (Multipurpose Stadium), Haneul Park Entrance, World Cup Park Complex 4, and Digital Media City Station.

The operator of the Sangam A21 route is SUM, a startup founded by autonomous driving researchers from Seoul National University, while the Sangam A03 route is operated by Jin Mobility, which runs the large shuttle taxi service i.M (i.M Taxi). Jin Mobility is a company formed by 12 taxi corporations and is the first in the country’s taxi industry to participate in the autonomous passenger transport business.

The newly established route connecting the subway station and Haneul and Noeul Parks will operate daily, including weekends when park visitors are numerous. The autonomous buses on the Sangam A21 route will run from Tuesday to Saturday, and the passenger-type autonomous vehicles on the Sangam A03 route will operate from Sunday to Thursday, with operating hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For the first time nationwide, one autonomous vehicle accessible to wheelchair users will also be in operation. It will be additionally deployed on the Sangam A02 route, which currently runs between Digital Media City Station, Nurikum Square, and the Advanced Industry Center. The autonomous vehicle is equipped with a wheelchair lift and is a Carnival model, the same as existing disabled call taxis.

To keep fares affordable for citizens, the autonomous bus fare is set at 1,200 KRW per person, while all passenger-type vehicles, including those accessible to wheelchair users, charge a flat rate of 2,000 KRW per trip regardless of the number of passengers or travel distance.

To use the autonomous vehicles, users can download the Seoul autonomous driving dedicated smartphone app (TAP!), developed through a public-private partnership with 42dot, from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. After registering as a member and adding a payment method (card), anyone can call and use an autonomous vehicle in real time.

Meanwhile, since the start of paid autonomous vehicle operations in February, Seoul City reported that as of the end of June, a total of 1,578 passengers have used the service, with an average of more than 14 passengers per day consistently using autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, within less than five months since the start of paid operations, the four vehicles had traveled a total of 29,281 km by the end of June, averaging 65 km per vehicle per day, significantly contributing to the advancement of autonomous driving technology and data accumulation.

Seoul City plans to continue expanding the number of autonomous vehicles to establish them as a regular transportation means that operates seamlessly throughout Sangam. Baek Ho, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, “In Sangam, where Seoul’s first autonomous vehicle operations began, we are expanding autonomous driving experiences to transportation-vulnerable groups such as wheelchair users and increasing the number of vehicles, steadily enhancing our capabilities. We will also raise competitiveness as an open autonomous driving leading city by enabling private companies to freely demonstrate autonomous driving technology across the entire city of Seoul beyond Sangam.”

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