Self-driving buses to roam Sejoing city starting November
- 4 years ago
11월부터 세종시내 달리는 '자율주행 버스'...교통약자, 배차문제 해결할 것
Sejong City has taken the first step towards self-driving public transport on Tuesday,... running its first road test.
The city hopes for passengers to be able to ride on these driverless busesby 2023.
Our Choi Jeong-yoon has this story.
A driver takes her hand off the steering wheel and her feet from the accelerator. The bus reads data from the traffic light and calculates when to stop and take turns.
This is a self-driving bus that the city of Sejong plans to demonstrate on public roads from next month.
Self-driving buses have had several trials in a restricted testing environment, but this is the first time in Korea those buses have driven themselves along with regular vehicles in real traffic situations.
“There were more concerns than excitement at first, but I was relieved to see the bus move smoothly and be able to recognize pedestrians and dangerous situations.
It was a bit frustrating as the bus gave way to other vehicles pass too often. It drove really slowly when making turns or changing lanes.”
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will operate two of these Level 3 buses on roads as a test project, traveling a 9-point 8 kilometer route roughly twice a week.
It will then scale up the project by operating eight buses with Level 4 vehicles on a 35 kilometer route in 2021 and allow local residents to actually ride the buses,... moving towards the final goal of commercialising the buses in 2023.
Out of the five levels of driverless vehicles, a Level 3 car can carry out a range of autonomous driving functions but the driver must be ready to take control.
At Level 4, the vehicle is in full control under limited conditions. And at Level 5, a driverless vehicle can drive without any driver present.
Experts say self-driving services in public transport might see commercialization earlier than normal vehicles, as the buses are driven on specific routes and are operated under central transport management system which makes it easy to collect data.
“This minibus is an on-demand service. Users can download applications and set locations where to get on and off the bus. People with disabilities or who live in rural areas can benefit from this. As this is a human-free bus, it can bring efficiency in operations by driving 24 hours with shorter bus intervals."
However, in order to establish such a system in Korea, changes in the law on safety and regulatory issues are required. Clear standards on responsibility for accidents and insurance must be resolved.
Choi Jeong-yoon, Arirang News.
Sejong City has taken the first step towards self-driving public transport on Tuesday,... running its first road test.
The city hopes for passengers to be able to ride on these driverless busesby 2023.
Our Choi Jeong-yoon has this story.
A driver takes her hand off the steering wheel and her feet from the accelerator. The bus reads data from the traffic light and calculates when to stop and take turns.
This is a self-driving bus that the city of Sejong plans to demonstrate on public roads from next month.
Self-driving buses have had several trials in a restricted testing environment, but this is the first time in Korea those buses have driven themselves along with regular vehicles in real traffic situations.
“There were more concerns than excitement at first, but I was relieved to see the bus move smoothly and be able to recognize pedestrians and dangerous situations.
It was a bit frustrating as the bus gave way to other vehicles pass too often. It drove really slowly when making turns or changing lanes.”
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will operate two of these Level 3 buses on roads as a test project, traveling a 9-point 8 kilometer route roughly twice a week.
It will then scale up the project by operating eight buses with Level 4 vehicles on a 35 kilometer route in 2021 and allow local residents to actually ride the buses,... moving towards the final goal of commercialising the buses in 2023.
Out of the five levels of driverless vehicles, a Level 3 car can carry out a range of autonomous driving functions but the driver must be ready to take control.
At Level 4, the vehicle is in full control under limited conditions. And at Level 5, a driverless vehicle can drive without any driver present.
Experts say self-driving services in public transport might see commercialization earlier than normal vehicles, as the buses are driven on specific routes and are operated under central transport management system which makes it easy to collect data.
“This minibus is an on-demand service. Users can download applications and set locations where to get on and off the bus. People with disabilities or who live in rural areas can benefit from this. As this is a human-free bus, it can bring efficiency in operations by driving 24 hours with shorter bus intervals."
However, in order to establish such a system in Korea, changes in the law on safety and regulatory issues are required. Clear standards on responsibility for accidents and insurance must be resolved.
Choi Jeong-yoon, Arirang News.