Beginning March 16, driverless autonomous shuttle buses will start operating on roads in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province.
The city said on the 10th that it held a safety preview ride to verify the vehicles. Mayor Choi Dae-ho, Deputy Mayor Lee Gye-sam and Han Ji-hyung, CEO of Autonomous A2G Co., attended and tested the new autonomous driving technology.
The officials rode a roughly 4 km (about 2.5 miles) route from Anyang City Hall via Beomgye Station to the Smart City Integration Center, a trip that lasted about 30 minutes. The shuttle seats nine passengers and has a top speed of 40 km/h (about 25 mph). It’s equipped with multiple sensors, a communications-based autonomous driving system and real-time monitoring technology.
The Level 4 shuttle being introduced is the first driverless autonomous vehicle to operate under a basic municipal government. For safety, the law requires one safety manager to ride onboard in case of emergency.
The public trial route, part of the Smart City Integration Center program, starts on the 16th. Any resident can reserve a free ride in advance through Anyang’s unified reservation website.
The city launched autonomous public transit services in April 2024. Since then it has built an operational framework covering services, facilities, policy and safety, earning the only A grade among basic local governments in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s evaluation of autonomous vehicle pilot zones.
This year, Anyang was selected for the ministry’s “Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Zone Support Project” for the second consecutive year and secured ₩450,000,000 (≈ $337,500) in national funding.
Using that funding, the city plans to expand autonomous services in phases. It will introduce a new driverless Level 4 shuttle between Gwanak Station and Anyang Art Park and, starting next month, extend the existing daytime route to the Pyeongchon Elproud apartments.
