Autonomous Buses to Run Between Cheolsan Station and Gwangmyeong Cave in the Second Half of Next Year

12km Section of Ori-ro in Gwangmyeong Designated as Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Zone by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Mayor Seungwon Park: "Realizing a Future Mobility City with Enhanced Convenience and Safety"

In the second half of next year, an autonomous shuttle bus will operate between Cheolsan Station and Gwangmyeong Cave in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province.

On December 9, Gwangmyeong City announced that the 12-kilometer section of Ori-ro between Cheolsan Station and Gwangmyeong Cave has been designated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as a "2025 Second Half Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone."

At the final briefing session for the "Gwangmyeong-Siheung New Town Mobility Specialized City Development Plan Establishment Project," held in February at the Gwangmyeong City Hall's main conference room, Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong and other attendees discussed the business plan. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

The autonomous vehicle pilot operation zone is a system introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to promote the commercialization of autonomous driving and address local transportation issues. The newly designated section is a 12-kilometer stretch of Ori-ro between Cheolsan Station and Gwangmyeong Cave. In the designated zone, special regulatory exemptions related to roads and traffic are granted to allow the operation of autonomous vehicles.

This section is the main road with the highest transportation demand in the Gwangmyeong area. It also serves as a key tourism route connecting major attractions such as Anteo Ecological Park, Chunghyeon Museum, Gi Hyeongdo Literary Museum, KTX Gwangmyeong Station, and Gwangmyeong Cave.

It is also linked to the Gwangmyeong-Siheung New Town, which is being developed as a future mobility innovation city. Gwangmyeong-Siheung New Town was selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in November 2023 as a development site for the "Future Mobility Urban Project." Within the new town, next-generation mobility services and infrastructure such as robotaxis, roboshuttles, and urban air mobility (UAM) will be established.

The city plans to build supporting infrastructure for autonomous driving, including road communication equipment, signage, and online signal controllers, in the first half of next year. After conducting road demonstrations and stabilization using AI-based autonomous driving data, shuttle bus operations will commence in the second half of the year.

If the pilot project operates stably, the city plans to increase the number of autonomous shuttle buses and expand the routes to establish a foundation for commercialization.

Mayor Seungwon Park of Gwangmyeong said, "With the designation of this pilot zone, we are now able to prepare a new transportation service that will improve convenience for citizens. We will prioritize safety by thoroughly building facilities and inspecting operations to create a transportation environment where citizens can use the service with peace of mind."

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