Starting Unmanned Autonomous Taxi Service from the Second Half of This Year

Available in 14 Districts Including Sangam, Seoul and Jeju

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Kim] Starting as early as the second half of this year, taxi services using autonomous vehicles will become available.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 17th that it has posted on its website the application method for permits for paid passenger transport using autonomous vehicles and the specific evaluation criteria for taxi paid passenger transport permits.

The newly established criteria include not only Level 3 but also Level 4 autonomous driving service permit standards. If domestic autonomous vehicle companies meet these conditions and receive approval, they will be able to provide unmanned (without a test driver onboard) autonomous vehicle services.

Additionally, the operation plan now requires a passenger safety management plan and a prerequisite of prior operation (for 30 days) in the service area before application. Approval will be granted only if the vehicle passes an actual road driving capability evaluation conducted by experts.

The pilot operation zones are a newly introduced system under the 'Autonomous Vehicle Act' enacted in May 2020. Initially, six zones were designated in November 2020, followed by the addition of one more zone in April last year, making a total of seven zones including Seoul Sangam and Jeju. In the first half of this year, additional regions were designated, expanding to 14 zones across 10 cities and provinces nationwide in just over two years.

In the six zones already designated, including Seoul Sangam, Sejong, and Daegu Metropolitan City, a total of nine companies have obtained limited transportation licenses and provided demonstration services to the general public. Services also began in the second half of the year in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province.