Dawn Autonomous Bus Service Launches Between Sanggye and Express Bus Terminal

A148 Begins Operation on April 16, Covering a 22.1 km Route
Stops Only at Major, High-Demand Stations: "Express" Service
No Standing Allowed When Seats Are Full; Passengers Must Check Availability in Advance

Seoul City's 'Dawn Companion Autonomous Bus' A148 will begin operation at 3:30 a.m. on April 16, 2026.

The newly established A148 route, like the regular 148 bus route, starts from Sanggye Station and travels round-trip for 22.1 kilometers, passing through Mia Sageori, Gyeongdong Market, and Apgujeong Station to the Express Bus Terminal. It operates once a day.

'Saebyeok Donghaeng Autonomous Bus' A148 vehicle. Seoul City

It departs 30 minutes earlier than the first regular bus and stops only at 41 major stops where the first bus is most frequently used. It also operates between Sanggye Station and Suyu Station, a section not included in the regular 148 route.

For safety reasons, standing is not allowed if there are no available seats, so the bus does not pick up passengers when full. Passengers must check for available seats either on the Bus Information Terminal (BIT) or the seat indicator at the front of the bus before boarding.

Seoul City will operate the Dawn Companion Autonomous Bus free of charge until the service is stabilized. However, passengers must still tap their transit cards when boarding and alighting, just like on regular city buses.

The bus is a large 31-seat model (Hyundai Elec City) equipped with dedicated autonomous driving software. SUM, a company that has operated Cheong Wa Dae and late-night autonomous buses in Seoul, is responsible for manufacturing and operating the vehicle.

To ensure passenger safety, the bus uses both its onboard sensor information and intersection signal data provided by Seoul City, preventing sudden stops when approaching intersections and ensuring stable passage through GPS shadow areas.

Seoul City plans to increase the number of autonomous buses operating in the early morning hours, considering the transportation needs of citizens who need to travel at dawn and the difficulty of increasing the number of drivers during these hours. By the end of this month, a new A504 route will be established between Geumcheon-gu Office and Gwanghwamun, and additional new routes will be added in the future.

Yeo Jangkwon, Seoul City’s policy chief for transportation, stated, "Following A160 and A741, which have served over 30,000 users, we have decided to expand the 'Dawn Companion Autonomous Bus' routes to better serve citizens who start their day early in Seoul. We will continue to build a foundation for autonomous public transportation services and prioritize the application of advanced transportation technologies where they are most needed."

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