Dongdaemun District in Seoul said on the 13th that it held an opening ceremony for an autonomous bus service at the plaza in front of the district office.
Dongdaemun District's autonomous bus "Dongdaemun A01" will begin official service at 9 a.m. on the 14th. The route connects from Janghanpyeong Station to Jeonnong Sageori, Cheongnyangni Station, and the King Sejong Memorial Hall, ending at Kyunghee University Medical Center. The round-trip length is 15 km, and 23 stops will be in service.
Dongdaemun A01 operates six times a day on weekdays from 9 a.m. (starting-point standard) to 6:15 p.m. (end-point standard). The headway is 75 minutes. Standing is prohibited. Riders may board after checking the remaining seats on the bus arrival information terminal (BIT) at stops or the seat indicator attached to the outside of the bus. Fares are free, with plans to charge in the future. Although free, riders must tag a transit card when boarding to verify the number of boardings and alightings.
Two electric autonomous buses converted from Hyundai Motor's County Electric will be deployed. They are Level 3 autonomous, capable of traveling without driver intervention on highways or under specific conditions. Four lidars (LiDAR) installed at the front, rear, and both sides, eight cameras around the vehicle, and one radar installed at the front detect the movements of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.
Although they are autonomous buses, manual driving is mandatory in regulated sections such as child protection zones, so a driver will be on board. A staff member who provides passenger guidance and manages safety will also ride along.
In Seoul, an autonomous bus is operating in Dongjak District on a 3.2 km round-trip route with 11 stops. Seodaemun District will deploy autonomous buses in October on a 12 km round-trip route with 20 stops. Dongdaemun District's autonomous bus is the longest and has the most stops.