The first autonomous BRT bus in Korea will be operated in Sejong and Chungcheongbuk-do, and will gradually expand to major areas in the Chungcheong region.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Metropolitan Area Transportation Committee, Sejong City, and North Chungcheong Province announced that they will be the first in the country to launch a 'BRT-only autonomous driving bus' service operating on the 22.4 km section between Osong Station and Sejong Intercity Bus Terminal starting on December 27.

The autonomous driving service was promoted as part of the 'Chungcheong Autonomous Driving Mobility Commercialization Zone Creation Project' selected as an ultra-wide area cooperation project by the National Balanced Development Committee in 2021.

BRT autonomous buses will be given separate route numbers A2 and A3 and will play a significant role in public transportation along with existing general city buses such as B0, B2, and B4.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has set a goal of realizing fully autonomous (level 4) buses and shuttles by 2025 through the 'Mobility Innovation Roadmap (9.19)', and it is expected that this BRT autonomous driving bus service will serve as a meaningful stepping stone to achieving this goal.

In addition, when connected to a service app, it is possible to expand to a DRT (demand-responsive transport system)-based service, and when combined with a PM (personal mobility) service, the realization of MaaS (integrated mobility service) with autonomous driving is expected to become more visible.

The autonomous driving bus being operated this time is a full-fledged, level 3 autonomous driving technology.These are buses (14-seater Apollo 750, 1 unit) and regular passenger buses (2 15-seater Restas), and for safe operation, drivers and safety personnel ride together to perform roles necessary for safe public service, such as boarding and disembarking assistance, autonomous driving guidance, and rapid response to emergency situations.

The service will run six round trips from Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 16:00, on the BRT road (Sejong Express Bus Terminal ~ Osong Station section), and will stop at eight existing BRT route stops (Sejong Terminal Ground, Sejong Terminal Underground, Saerom-dong, Naseong-dong, Government Complex South, Government Complex North, Dodam-dong, Haemil-dong, and Osong Station).

Anyone can use the autonomous driving bus for free by applying for a trial experience in advance through the Sejong City/Chungcheongbuk-do website and QR codes on BRT stop posters. After reflecting the opinions of the citizen experience group that used the service during a three-month trial run, it will be converted to a full-fledged paid service (city bus fare applies).

Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Eom Myeong-so said, “The BRT autonomous driving bus service that is being launched this time is the first case of autonomous buses being introduced on a main road in Korea. The service is scheduled to expand to Daejeon Banseok Station in 2023, and to major areas in the Chungcheong region such as Cheongju Airport, Jochiwon, Gongju, Cheonan, and Asan after 2024.” He added, “The government plans to continue to expand pilot operation areas and provide administrative and financial support to local governments so that more citizens can experience autonomous driving services.”