South Korea Launches Pilot Program for Autonomous Vehicles to Solve Transportation Problems

Autonomous buses operate in the Dongjak District, south of Seoul. (Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government)

South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will allocate about 3 billion won (Rp33,945,960,000) to expand autonomous vehicle services in areas and hours that are underserved by public transportation.

In a late-month announcement, the ministry said it would fund pilot projects in eight regions, including Seoul, Daegu, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, and Jeju Island, to operate autonomous shuttles and demand-responsive transport (DRT) services.

"Automated driving technology has shown a very strong impact on passenger transportation in underserved regions and time slots, and its application in freight transportation is now within reach," a ministry official said, quoted by The Korea Times on March 15.

"The newly launched automated freight transport service will ensure the successful integration of autonomous driving technology into the logistics sector, with a focus on medium-distance routes with repetitive driving patterns, where drivers face a high risk of fatigue, to help reduce fatigue," he added.

This initiative aims to increase transportation access in areas and hours where public transportation services are limited. This plan also includes testing new autonomous freight operations to accelerate commercial launches in the next few years.

Gangwon Province will introduce a late-night autonomous DRT service in Gangneung, which will host the upcoming ITS World Congress, the world's largest smart transportation system event, in October.

The service will operate between key centers such as Anmok Beach, Gangneung Station, and the express bus terminal, offering late-night public transportation for tourists and event participants.

Meanwhile, South Gyeongsang Province will continue to operate autonomous shuttle services in the rural Hadong County area, while Jeju Island will operate autonomous shuttle vans between the airport and the city center.

Meanwhile, Seoul will operate the country's first driverless taxi service in Sangam, Mapo District, with a safety operator sitting in the passenger seat in case of an emergency.

In Yangcheon District, the city plans to launch autonomous shuttles to improve mobility for the elderly and disabled passengers.

Gyeonggi Province will deploy autonomous shuttles for new routes to test their performance in heavy traffic, while launching additional DRT services to existing autonomous bus routes for commuters in the Pangyo, Seongnam area.

Meanwhile, Daegu will launch a medium-distance high-speed autonomous freight service between logistics centers, including public post offices and private distribution centers.

It is known that all toll roads in the Ginseng State were designated as autonomous driving pilot zones last year, with the first paid autonomous freight license expected this year.