4 Lines Covering 15.8 km Operated by 5 Vehicles from 9 AM to 5 PM
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[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] Gangneung City in Gangwon Province has opened an era where tourists can enjoy sightseeing by riding autonomous vehicles utilizing mobility technology.
Gangneung City announced on the 6th, "We have currently selected three private companies and completed test runs of a total of five tourist-type autonomous vehicles (2 shuttle-type, 3 modified vehicles)," adding, "Starting from the 9th, we plan to provide boarding services to general tourists and citizens."
The autonomous driving service linked with the ITS construction project operates by recognizing road facility information (lanes, road surface markings, traffic light locations) from high-precision maps and sharing this information with autonomous vehicles through V2X (real-time signal information) communication technology.
The operation routes are Route A (Gangneung Station~Gangmun), Route A-1 (Olympic Museum~Gangmun), Route B (Ojukheon~Gangmun), and Route C (Anmok Beach~Gangmun).
On Route A (5.8 km) and Route C (4 km), modified Carnival autonomous vehicles equipped with two LiDARs and high-performance cameras mounted at the front of the vehicle operate.
On Route B (6 km), a modified Kona vehicle equipped with one LiDAR and three radars operates, and on Route A-1 (4 km), a shuttle-type (15-seater) autonomous vehicle without a driver's seat operates.
The autonomous vehicle operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it can be used free of charge by downloading a mobile app.
Before opening to the general public, a test ride event was held at the Gangneung Green City Experience Center on the same day, attended by Kim Hong-gyu, Mayor of Gangneung, Kim Ki-young, Chairman of Gangneung City Council, Kwon Hyuk-yeol, Chairman of Gangwon Provincial Council, and Park Ki-dong, Director of the Gangwon Province Construction and Transportation Bureau.
The city expects to showcase a new form of smart tourism through mobility service technology utilizing artificial intelligence and big data.
Additionally, last June, the city was designated as an "Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone" under the "Act on Promotion and Support of Commercialization of Autonomous Vehicles" by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
A Gangneung city official said, "By providing citizens and tourists with free opportunities to experience cutting-edge mobility until the 2026 ITS World Congress, we expect to establish a smart tourism city brand and create an opportunity to grow as a leading advanced mobility city."
Gangneung City held a self-driving vehicle test ride event on the 6th at the Gangneung Green City Experience Center, attended by (from left in the photo) Kim Ki-young, Chairman of the Gangneung City Council, Kim Hong-gyu, Mayor of Gangneung, Kwon Hyuk-yeol, Chairman of the Gangwon Provincial Council, and Park Ki-dong, Director of the Gangwon Provincial Construction and Transportation Bureau. [Gangneung City] Photo by Gangneung City
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