Autonomous Village Buses to Operate in Dongjak-gu Next Year

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Designates New 'Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zones'

Dongjak-gu, Seoul (Mayor Park Il-ha) announced on the 9th that it has recently been newly designated as a 'Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone' by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and will operate autonomous village buses next year.

Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak District (right in the photo), is test-driving the autonomous village bus after signing the autonomous village bus business agreement last January. Provided by Dongjak District.

The designated pilot operation zone is the area around Sangdo 1-dong, covering a 1.62km section from Soongsil University South Gate to the Sangdo 1-dong Community Center intersection and the back gate of Chung-Ang University.

This area is a transportation-disadvantaged region with a residential population of over 50,000 but only one subway station (Soongsil University Station) within a 500m radius. The district is finalizing the last pieces for introducing autonomous village buses, including contracting with specialized companies and vehicle modification, aiming for a successful pilot operation next year. During the pilot operation period, the service will be free of charge and will later switch to a paid service. The autonomous driving service will be gradually expanded by extending routes and discovering new target areas.

Earlier, the district was selected in August for the Seoul City pilot project for autonomous buses for transportation-vulnerable groups, and among the three autonomous districts selected together, it was the first to be designated as a pilot zone by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Dongjak-gu explained that the driving force behind this was the early formation of a task force after signing a government-industry-academia cooperation agreement with Soongsil University and others in January, completing preparations such as route selection, designation of bus stop signs and stopping areas, and securing autonomous buses and charging facilities.

Mayor Park Il-ha said, “We hope for great expectations for the first step of the autonomous village bus, which Dongjak-gu will introduce nationwide for the first time,” and added, “We will continue to build autonomous driving-based infrastructure targeting public transportation vulnerable areas to realize differentiated transportation welfare.”