Early-morning self-driving bus service in Seoul will start from Nov. 26. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)
By Lee Kyoung Mi
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will start self-driving bus service in the capital for commuters who start their day earlier than most.
The city on Nov. 25 said bus No. A160 from Nov. 26 will start running between the bus transfer center of Dobongsan Station and Yeongdeungpo Station. The letter “A,” which stands for autonomous, was added to the number of a bus running on the same route.
From Monday through Friday, the first self-driving bus from the Dobongsan transfer center will depart at 3:30 a.m., and passengers can enter only if seats are available to ensure safety. The ride is free until the service is made regular, but passengers must tag their transportation cards upon boarding.
The city also announced plans to keep expanding the number of self-driving buses early in the morning to improve transportation convenience for commuters during pre-dawn hours and resolve the shortage of drivers available at that time.
Next year will see the addition of three new routes: Sanggye to Express Bus Terminal; Geumcheon (Gasan) to Seoul Station; and Eunpyeong to Yangjae Station. The number of routes will be raised to 10.
km137426@korea.kr
