Dawn Express Autonomous Bus 'A741' Launches... Full Autonomous Operation Including Vulnerable Zones

A741 Route (Gupabal Station~Yangjae Station) Added
First in Korea to Include Protected Zones for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups
Additional Routes Planned, Including Sanggye~Express Bus Terminal

Seoul City is expanding the operation of its dawn autonomous buses. An express service has been added to the existing Gupabal~Yangjae Station route, and the entire section—including protected zones for transportation-vulnerable groups—will be operated autonomously.

According to Seoul City on March 29, the A741 express route, which shortens a portion of the existing Route 741, departs from Gupabal Station at 3:30 a.m. on weekdays. The route covers 23.5 kilometers, running from Gupabal Station through Gwanghwamun Station, Sinsa Station, and Gangnam Station to Yangjae Station, making a round trip once each day.

Seoul City operates the newly launched early morning express autonomous bus A741. Seoul City

The A741 route stops only at key bus stops (34 out of a total of 64 stops) with high demand for the first bus on the original 741 route. By stopping at fewer locations, passengers are expected to arrive at their destinations about 20 minutes earlier per one-way trip compared to routes that stop at every station.

Notably, for the first time in Korea, the entire route will be operated autonomously, including protected zones for the transportation-vulnerable, which have historically been a technological hurdle. Since January 26, 2026, autonomous driving has been permitted in child, senior, and disabled protection zones. As a result, sections that previously required manual driving by a safety driver for testing—such as the 0.8km near Nokbeon Station and Muakjae Station—will now be serviced by autonomous vehicles.

With the entire route now available for autonomous service, Seoul City plans to conduct thorough safety verifications in consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and to actively pursue the introduction of fully unmanned autonomous buses in the future.

Because the A741 only stops at selected locations on the original 741 route, passengers must check bus stop locations in advance by searching for '새벽A741' or 'A741' on Naver or Kakao. The service will be free of charge until it is stabilized; however, passengers must still tap their transportation card when boarding and alighting, just as with regular city buses.

Additionally, for safety reasons, standing is prohibited. If there are no available seats, the bus will not pick up additional passengers. Therefore, before boarding, passengers should check for open seats via the Bus Information Terminal (BIT) or the 'LED seat indicator' on the front of the bus.

Previously, the A160 route (Dobongsan Station~Yeongdeungpo Station), which was launched in November 2024, served a total of approximately 27,600 passengers over 15 months. There were no autonomous driving accidents reported during this period, demonstrating excellent safety and earning strong approval from citizens.

According to a survey conducted last year by the Seoul Institute of 2,301 Seoul residents—including autonomous vehicle passengers and the general public—73.8% of those who had used Seoul’s autonomous vehicles were ‘satisfied’ with the service (average satisfaction score: 3.9 out of 5), and 82.6% expressed willingness to use the service again in the future. The satisfaction score for the A160 route averaged 4.08, with most users offering high ratings.

Among A160 route users, 96.2% took the bus for commuting purposes. Those aged 50 and over comprised 85.4% of passengers, and 66.2% were employed in simple labor jobs, confirming that the policy effectively assists field workers such as sanitation and security staff who commute early in the morning.

Seoul City has decided to expand transportation options for citizens who need to travel at dawn. Given the difficulty of increasing bus frequency during early morning hours due to driver shortages, the city plans to further expand autonomous bus services on congested dawn routes. By April 2026, two additional routes will be launched: ▲Sanggye~Express Bus Terminal (a shortened version of Route 148) and ▲Geumcheon (Geumcheon-gu Office)~Gwanghwamun (a shortened version of Route 504). Seoul will continue to add new routes, aiming to complete an autonomous driving network connecting all four directions of the city.

Yeo Jangkwon, policy chief of Seoul City’s Transportation Bureau, stated, "We empathize with the challenges faced by citizens who start their day early and will continue to expand the 'Dawn Companion Autonomous Bus' in solidarity with the vulnerable." He added, "We will focus our efforts on establishing the world's first autonomous, uninterrupted 24-hour public transportation service, ensuring that the benefits of advanced mobility technology are delivered first to the socially disadvantaged."

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