‘BRT Exclusive Autonomous Bus’ First Run in Sejong and Chungbuk

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The BRT-exclusive autonomous driving bus will begin its first run in Sejong and Chungbuk.

According to Sejong City on the 27th, the BRT-exclusive autonomous driving service will be provided for the first time nationwide on the 22.4 km section between Osong Station and Sejong Intercity Bus Terminal.

The autonomous driving service has been promoted as part of the "Chungcheong Autonomous Driving Mobility Commercialization Zone Project." This project was selected as a super metropolitan cooperation project by the National Balanced Development Committee in 2021.

Starting this month, the BRT autonomous driving buses will be assigned separate route numbers A2 and A3, and will serve as a key part of public transportation alongside existing general city buses such as B0, B2, and B4.

The introduction of the BRT-exclusive autonomous driving service was realized through cooperation among related organizations. Prior to the service launch, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport designated the Sejong and Chungbuk pilot operation zones last month, and the Metropolitan Transport Committee revised related regulations to allow autonomous vehicles to operate on BRT sections.

Additionally, Sejong City and Chungbuk Province selected Autonomus A2Z as the operator for the routes (in August) and conducted expert consultations and safety inspections in the autonomous driving field for three months.

The autonomous driving buses running between Osong Station and Sejong Intercity Bus Terminal include one electric bus equipped with Level 3 autonomous driving technology (14-seat Apollo 750) and two general passenger buses (15-seat Resta).

For pilot safety operations, drivers and safety personnel will be on board the buses to assist with boarding and alighting, provide autonomous driving guidance, and respond promptly to emergencies.

The autonomous driving buses will operate six round trips between 12 PM and 4 PM from Monday to Friday, stopping at the eight existing BRT route stations.

After approximately three months of pilot operation, the autonomous driving buses will transition to full paid service (applying city bus fares). During the pilot operation period, anyone can use the service free of charge by applying in advance via the QR code on the Sejong City and Chungbuk Province websites and BRT station posters.

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