South Korea: Self-driving taxis will go into operation in Seoul from February 10

On February 9, the Seoul government announced that the first batch of self-driving taxis in the South Korean capital will officially go into operation in the western part of the city this week.

Specifically, four self-driving cars will start providing public taxi services in the Sangam-dong district in western Seoul on February 10, operating on two separate traffic routes. Passengers can call one of these taxis via the TAP app! installed on smartphones for a fixed price of 2,000 won ($1.67)/trip and can be paid automatically on the app.

According to the Seoul city government, these self-driving taxis are allowed to circulate in two separate commercial zones in the Sangam-dong district, picking up and dropping off passengers at any point along the routes that passengers book on the app. .

In March, the South Korean capital also plans to launch the operation of self-driving buses in Sangam-dong district. Including this plan, Seoul plans to put into operation 12 self-driving public transport vehicles in Sangam-dong district (the area where the city's autonomous vehicle test project is being implemented) by the end of this year.

TAP App! downloadable via the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store starting February 10. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that those using the new service for the first time will receive it for free as part of a promotion at the service's launch.(video)