Autonomous Action Paving In West Seoul: Order And Pay Through The Application, The Tariff Is Not Up To IDR 25,000

Autonomous taxis that will operate in Sangam-dong Seoul. (Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government via Korea Times)

JAKARTA - South Korea as one of the technology centers in the world, has again launched a breakthrough program in the field of public transportation, by presenting an autonomous taxi service.

The first batch of autonomous taxi services in the capital, Seoul, began operating in the western area of the city this week, the city government said.

Four autonomous cars will start providing public taxi services in Sangam-dong District, western Seoul from Thursday, covering two separate transportation routes, citing the Korea Times Feb. 9.

Each passenger can hail one of the taxis via the TAP app! on smartphones. Interestingly, the flat fare, which is 2,000 won or around Rp. 24,026 per trip, is automatically paid on the application.

Surrounding the district's two separate commercial areas, the vehicles will pick up and drop off passengers at any point along the route, which has been defined on the app, according to the Seoul city government.

Next month, the city government is also planning to launch autonomous buses in the area. Including buses and autonomous taxis, the city seeks to operate up to 12 autonomous public transit vehicles in the Sangam-dong district, the zone for the city's autonomous vehicle pilot project, by the end of this year.

To note, this application can be downloaded on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store starting Thursday. As part of the launch promotion, those using the new service for the first time will be given a free ride.