Nighttime Self-Driving Taxis (Image provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government)
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – Seoul is set to introduce the country’s first nighttime self-driving taxi service in the bustling Gangnam district starting September 26. The service will be accessible through Kakao T, the same popular ride-hailing app used for conventional taxis.
According to Seoul city officials, the autonomous taxis will operate from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, initially covering parts of Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu. The service area includes neighborhoods such as Yeoksam-dong, Daechi-dong, Dogok-dong, and Samseong-dong in Gangnam-gu, as well as portions of Seocho-dong in Seocho-gu.
Plans are already in place to expand the service to additional areas in Gangnam-gu by the first half of next year.
The pilot program will launch with three Korando e-Motion vehicles provided by KG Mobility. To encourage public engagement and gather feedback, rides will be offered free of charge initially, with fare implementation scheduled for next year.
City officials plan to consider daytime operations and fleet expansion based on demand, industry feedback, and vehicle availability.
While dubbed “self-driving,” the taxis will not be entirely unmanned. For safety reasons, test drivers will manually operate the vehicles in residential areas and school zones, while autonomous driving will be engaged on roads with four or more lanes.
This initiative follows Seoul’s introduction of the world’s first nighttime self-driving bus service in December of last year, which operates on a 9.8-kilometer route between Hapjeong Station and Dongdaemun Station.
The city is set to expand its autonomous public transportation offerings with early morning buses starting next month and plans for specialized services catering to elderly and disabled passengers in various districts next year.
Yoon Jong-jang, the head of the Seoul city government’s transportation bureau, expressed optimism about the city’s progress in autonomous transportation.
“Through Seoul’s comprehensive project implementation and demonstration results, we are on the brink of establishing autonomous transportation as a full-fledged traffic service,” Yoon said. “We will do our utmost to create future transportation services for our citizens.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
