Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Seoul moves to broaden use of autonomous buses to fill late-night transit gaps
Passengers sit inside a semiautonomous bus departing Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center in Seoul, Nov. 26, 2024. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
From test routes to citywide service, officials accelerate deployment of self-driving vehicles this year
Seoul is expanding its self-driving bus network to bolster late-night public transportation and improve transit in underserved neighborhoods, as city officials move this year to transition semiautonomous services from pilot projects into a permanent part of the public transportation system.
So far, the city’s autonomous bus operations have been limited to a small number of pilot routes, including services in specially designated zones such as Sangam-dong. Now, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is scaling up the number of both vehicles and routes, focusing on time periods and areas where conventional bus services are insufficient.
One of the most visible changes will be the expansion of autonomous buses operating in the predawn hours.
Currently, the A160 — which stands for Autonomous 160 — runs once a day ahead of the normal 160 bus, servicing early morning commuters. The A160 leaves Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center at 3:30 a.m. and travels to Yeongdeungpo Station, covering about 50 kilometers.
What began as a single route is being expanded to four that will link key residential areas in the capital, with A148, A504 and A741 buses set to begin service in the coming weeks. These services are intended to support street cleaners, security guards and market employees who start work before normal buses and subway operations begin.
“Due to strong demand from people who wish to use autonomous buses for early morning commutes and autonomous taxis to travel within Gangnam District, we plan to significantly expand these services,” a city official said.
These vehicles use high-level self-driving systems but still operate with human staff on board who can take over driving if necessary, making it a semi-autonomous system.
For financial sustainability, the free services will be transitioned to a paid model that mirrors the structure of regular bus services — with a standard base fare of 1,200 won ($0.83) and an early bird discount — starting with the A160 this month, according to city officials.
A self-driving village bus is seen on a road near Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, Sept. 23, 2025. Newsis
Beyond long-range city bus routes, officials also plan to expand autonomous village buses running shorter routes. Currently, the city government is running four such services: Dongjak A01, Dongdaemun A01, Seodaemun A01 and Cheonggye A01. After assessing feasibility and economic viability, officials are expected to select additional districts for future deployment.
The city’s taxi services are also evolving with the introduction of autonomous technology.
The city government is increasing the number of autonomous taxis operating in Gangnam District, one of the busiest commercial and residential areas in Seoul. It introduced a late-night self-driving taxi service there in September 2024, running three vehicles from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. during weekdays. The service has been free of charge across the district, including areas such as Apgujeong and Sinsa, and trips can be booked through the Kakao T app for up to three passengers per ride.
Over the next couple of months, officials plan to put more of these taxis on the roads and extend operations into weekday daytime hours. At the same time, the service will shift from free rides to a paid model with a flat base fare of 4,800 won, with no additional charges based on distance or travel time.
Passengers sit in a driverless autonomous shuttle bus operating on a trial run near Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, Sept. 23, 2025. Newsis
While the autonomous buses provide scheduled, high-capacity services along main corridors, the autonomous taxis are intended to cover shorter, door-to-door, more flexible trips that are difficult to serve efficiently with fixed routes. City officials say that altogether these services are meant to ease pressure on human‑driven taxis ― often in short supply at peak late‑night hours ― and offer riders more predictable and reliable transport options.
The city’s push is broadly aligned with the central government’s 2022 self-driving road map, which foresaw the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous bus and taxi services in select areas in the mid-2020s, with expansion later in the decade. Level 4 services do not require a human driver to continuously monitor or control the vehicle. Seoul’s current autonomous bus services are mostly operating at Level 3.
The central government’s future vehicle development strategy aims to commercialize Level 4 autonomous vehicles by 2027 and have fully self-driving vehicles operating on major roads nationwide. By 2035, its objective is for about half of newly launched vehicles to be Level 4 models, supported by the widespread deployment of key road infrastructure and other features.