U+, Seoul National University, and Automos to Conduct Autonomous Mobility Demonstration
Self-driving late-night shuttles to be launched in Siheung in the second half of this year.
Autonomous shuttles are expected to address public transportation blind spots.


The autonomous driving mobility service business is being fully tested.

The LG Uplus, Seoul National University, and Automos consortium announced on the 7th that they will launch the 'Autonomous Driving Mobility Service Pilot Project' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Three organizations will operate a self-driving late-night shuttle service, "Majung," in Baegot New Town, Siheung City, Gyeonggi Province, during late-night hours when public transportation like buses is not readily available. This service was designed to address the significant inconvenience faced by residents due to the short travel times and long intervals between public transportation services between Oido Station and Baegot-dong.

A consortium official explained that this service will increase citizen safety and convenience by ▲ eliminating blind spots in public transportation, ▲ arranging bus stops within walking distance of residential areas, and ▲ ensuring driving stability.

For this pilot project, LG U+ will provide a 5G-based autonomous driving control platform and vehicle-road infrastructure communication services. Seoul National University provides autonomous vehicle operation algorithms, and Automos manufactures autonomous vehicles and operates services.

First, a pilot service will be operated on one route from Oido Station on Line 4 to the residential area of Jeongwang-dong until October of this year. Depending on the performance of the project, the service will be expanded to a total of five routes and eight shuttle vehicles by the end of next year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a competition for "autonomous mobility service pilot operators" in March. LG Uplus formed an industry-academia consortium with Seoul National University and Automos, developed a business model and implementation strategy for a "late-night safe return home shuttle," and was selected as a pilot operator.