[Press]a2z begins operation of 15-seater self-driving shuttle Sejong BRT

10 Jun 2021

Autonomous a2z (hereafter a2z) started a self-driving shuttle minibus-based paid transportation service in the Sejong City Express Bus System (BRT).


a2z announced on the 6th that it has started self-driving shuttle service in the 11km section of 'Sejong Techno Valley - Express Intercity Bus Terminal' in Sejong City from June.


The autonomous driving shuttle is a 15-seater minibus. It can transport more people than the demand-response paid autonomous driving service previously provided by Kakao Mobility and the 5-seater sedan provided on the road near the Sejong City Government Complex.


a2z implemented autonomous driving by installing 4 lidars, 1 radar, and 6 cameras in a 15-seater minibus. There is no driver, but safety personnel are on board to respond to emergencies.


The maximum speed of the autonomous driving shuttle minibus was certified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as 80 km/h. However, the BRT speed limit is 50 km/h.


The method of use is similar to that of a bus. When boarding, you only need to pay 500 won with a transportation card.


Daytime operation is performed 4 times a day, 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, and night operation is performed 4 times only on Wednesday and Friday. a2z plans to collect driving data by operating in adverse weather conditions day and night. Previously, a2z has improved stability by demonstrating day and night driving in bad weather and roundabout driving on a 6.4km road in Sejong City.


The BRT section is relatively easy to operate compared to general roads, but in the case of Sejong City, there is a left or right turn section in the tunnel, so the difficulty of implementing autonomous driving is high.다.


a2z plans to provide autonomous driving data collected through driving to the Sejong autonomous driving big data control center built by the city of Sejong.


The Sejong autonomous driving special zone project will end in August, but the city of Sejong is negotiating with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups for an additional two-year extension.


박진형기자 jin@etnews.com