A Large Electric Autonomous Bus Will Run Around Cheongwadae

First Regular Service
Boarding Available with Standard Transportation Card

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] For the first time nationwide, two large electric autonomous buses of the same size as city buses will begin regular operation around the Blue House starting tomorrow.

Seoul City explained on the 21st that although large electric autonomous buses have been trialed in certain areas for specific periods, this is the first case of regular operation. The 'large electric autonomous bus' being introduced this time is a vehicle modified from Hyundai Motor Company's Elec City model, which is used for city buses, for the purpose of autonomous public transportation.

The city selected the Seoul National University and SUM (Seoul Urban Mobility) consortium as the Blue House autonomous bus operator through an open competition last November and has been conducting test runs.

The Blue House autonomous bus is expected to be the first autonomous vehicle that passengers can board using a transportation card without installing a separate app.

The autonomous bus will operate approximately 2.6 km around the Blue House area (Gyeongbokgung circulation), with stops at ▲Gyeongbokgung Station (Hyoja Entrance) ▲National Palace Museum of Korea (Yeongchumun) ▲Blue House ▲Chunchumun ▲Gyeongbokgung and National Folk Museum, allowing passengers to freely get on and off at these five stops.

To ensure safe operation, the city has opened 14 traffic signals around the Blue House to provide the autonomous bus with real-time information on traffic light colors and the remaining time until the next signal. In cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, traffic safety facilities have been improved by installing intersection driving guide lines and bicycle lane dashed lines.

Following Cheonggyecheon, the city plans to fully launch autonomous bus operations in the complex Seoul downtown area up to the Blue House, aiming not only to advance the technology but also to establish autonomous buses as a public transportation mode that citizens can use anytime.

Baekho, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, said, “As this is the first case of regular operation of large electric autonomous buses identical to city buses, we will develop autonomous vehicles into a formal public transportation mode,” adding, “We hope it will become a downtown attraction where visitors to the Blue House can also experience autonomous driving.”

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