Seoul Plans Driverless Cheonggyecheon Shuttles as Autonomous Transit Expands

A Shuttle Without a Steering Wheel Heads for Central Seoul

Two shuttles with no steering wheel or driver's seat are set to carry passengers along Seoul's Cheonggyecheon Stream as early as late September 2025. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced the service as South Korea's first fully driverless public transport operation, bringing vehicles designed for autonomous travel onto a route through the capital's busy centre.

As of August 25, the city is conducting test runs before opening the service to passengers. Each shuttle, developed by South Korean startup Autonomous AtoZ, seats 11 people. A safety officer will travel aboard to help passengers and respond to emergencies, but will not serve as a driver or intervene in driving.

The distinction is central to the project. Earlier autonomous buses retained a driver's seat so a person could take over. The Cheonggyecheon shuttle has been built from the ground up without that driving position, making its physical design as much a departure as the software controlling its movement.

Seoul sees the service as a step from experimental vehicles toward regular passenger transport. The city also expects the route to attract tourists, support businesses near the stream and provide a place to test domestic autonomous technology in everyday urban conditions.

The launch sits within a wider expansion of autonomous buses, neighbourhood shuttles and taxis. These services have different levels of human supervision, even though all are described as self-driving. Understanding who can take control, and under what circumstances, helps explain what will change for passengers.

Where the Shuttles Will Run

The two vehicles will follow a circular route of 4.8 kilometres between Cheonggye Plaza, near Gwanghwamun Station, and Cheonggye 5-ga, near Gwangjang Market. The route connects a prominent central gathering place with an area known for shopping and visitors.

Operating hours are planned for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The shuttles will not run on weekends or public holidays because the area becomes a zone reserved for pedestrians.

Passengers will ride free during the initial trial. Seoul plans to bring fares into its existing transit card system once the service becomes permanent, allowing payment through the system already used for public transport. The city has not given an exact opening day, a date for permanent operation or a fare.

Inside, the shuttle has seating arranged in a U shape, large windows and a large display showing navigation and route information. A wheelchair lift is included to make boarding accessible to passengers who cannot use steps.

Those details connect the technology to practical travel needs. The display tells passengers where the vehicle is going, while the lift allows people using wheelchairs to board. The safety officer's passenger assistance role remains part of the service even though the vehicle has no driving position.

How the Technology Fits Into the Vehicle

The Cheonggyecheon shuttle uses cameras, sensors and advanced software to navigate urban streets. Its approach combines cameras and lasers, with the aim of keeping costs manageable compared with expensive lidar systems used by some international counterparts. Lidar is a sensing method that uses laser light to measure distances.

The technology is also intended to be adaptable. Applications being considered extend beyond passenger shuttles to vehicles carrying deliveries, giving developers a potential market outside public transport.

Jeong Seong-gyun, head of autonomous driving at 42dot, the Hyundai affiliate behind earlier autonomous buses in Seoul, has described a design approach intended to make passengers comfortable. Large windows and an appearance resembling a toy are meant to make the technology feel approachable and less intimidating.

Autonomous AtoZ is developing the new Cheonggyecheon vehicle, while 42dot has worked on earlier services and other shuttle operations. Both companies form part of South Korea's effort to turn autonomous driving into a business that can serve customers at home and abroad.

Testing Safety Before Passengers Board

Seoul began test runs in August, with safety experts checking the shuttles before the public opening. The city describes safety verification and a gradual introduction as central parts of the launch.

Across its autonomous services, Seoul uses several layers of protection. These include monitoring by safety personnel, backup arrangements and human intervention in emergencies where the vehicle's operating design allows it. During initial trials, passengers must remain seated and wear seatbelts.

The new Cheonggyecheon shuttle assigns its onboard officer to passenger assistance and emergency response without driving intervention. Other Seoul services retain a safety driver who can take control. The arrangements therefore depend on the vehicle and route, rather than following one model throughout the city.

A trial ride on an autonomous village bus in Dongjak District illustrated both the progress and the remaining difficulties. The vehicle took corners smoothly and maintained a steady speed, but its braking could be abrupt and mechanical, particularly when other drivers acted unpredictably. Its safety driver intervened when necessary, including in school zones or heavy traffic.

A passenger on that service described feeling nervous before boarding and being reassured by the presence of a driver:

I was a bit nervous getting onboard. Seeing the driver sitting there did reassure me a bit.

Passenger feedback is part of the city's effort to refine both the technology and operating procedures. Seoul's longer term goal is to reduce human oversight gradually as confidence in the systems grows.

Neighbourhood Routes and Earlier Starts

Over the past two years, Seoul has tested autonomous buses on selected routes, including services at night and village buses in residential districts. The city wants these projects to address driver shortages, improve access to transport and modernise the network.

Earlier in 2025, an autonomous shuttle began serving a circular route of 1.62 kilometres between Soongsil University and Chung-Ang University in Dongjak District. It runs on weekdays and, during its initial phase, carries only seated passengers for safety.

Similar neighbourhood shuttles are scheduled for Dongdaemun and Seodaemun districts later in 2025. Further expansion is intended to depend on how the services perform and what local communities need.

Cheonggyecheon's planned circuit is nearly three times the length of the Dongjak route: 4.8 kilometres compared with 1.62 kilometres. The two projects also serve different settings, with one passing through a central visitor area and the other linking university neighbourhoods.

Seoul has also introduced autonomous buses for people who begin work before dawn, including cleaning staff and janitors. The No. 160 route, a loop of 25.7 kilometres, was the first to offer the early service described by the city as driverless.

That service starts at 3:30 a.m., half an hour before regular buses begin. The earlier departure is intended to help workers whose schedules fall outside normal operating hours while responding to a shortage of drivers available at that time.

Night Buses and Gangnam Taxis Extend the Network

The A21 autonomous bus route operates around midnight, helping fill a gap as the pool of drivers willing or available to work night shifts shrinks. Passengers must sit down and buckle their seatbelts, and a safety driver remains aboard to take over when needed.

The service is described as Level 3 autonomy. In simple terms, the vehicle can perform driving tasks under certain conditions, but a human must still be able to intervene when the system requires help. That makes the safety driver's role part of normal operational planning.

Seoul also plans to introduce what it describes as South Korea's first autonomous taxi service operating late at night in Gangnam in September. Passengers will be able to request the taxis through the Kakao T app.

The taxi service is planned to begin free, with paid rides scheduled for 2025. Together with neighbourhood shuttles and buses operating before dawn and around midnight, the taxis form part of the city's ambition for an integrated autonomous transport network serving people throughout the day and night.

The main stages of the expansion stretch across several years:

• In 2022, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport introduced autonomous buses on bus rapid transit routes in Sejong.
• Earlier in 2025, Seoul launched the Dongjak shuttle between Soongsil University and Chung-Ang University.
• In August 2025, test runs began for the new Cheonggyecheon shuttles.
• In September 2025, Seoul plans to launch autonomous taxis operating late at night in Gangnam, while the Cheonggyecheon passenger service could begin as early as late September.
• Later in 2025, neighbourhood shuttles are scheduled to launch in Dongdaemun and Seodaemun.

A National Target and More Than $1 Billion

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Sejong programme places Seoul's projects within a wider national effort. The buses introduced there in 2022 operate on bus rapid transit routes, commonly shortened to BRT, and use Level 2 and Level 3 technology with a driver and safety officer aboard.

Level 2 involves assistance with driving while a person remains responsible for supervising the journey. Level 3 allows the system to drive under specified conditions but still requires a human to respond when needed. The national goal described for 2025 is Level 4, where vehicles can operate without human intervention in most conditions within their intended operating setting.

The government has pledged more than $1 billion in investment by 2027 to build supporting infrastructure and speed up deployment. That commitment covers the wider development of autonomous mobility, alongside the work of companies such as 42dot and Autonomous AtoZ.

South Korea's commercial ambitions reach beyond domestic routes. Companies developing the technology are seeking opportunities in international markets, including Singapore and the Middle East.

Companies Look Beyond Public Bus Routes

42dot already operates autonomous shuttles at the Samsung Mobility Museum in Yongin, where they move staff and visitors. The setting gives the company an application outside an ordinary city bus route.

The company is pursuing business to business services, meaning it would supply organisations rather than sell rides only to individual passengers. Its proposed package brings together autonomous driving technology, fleet management and digital platforms.

Fleet management means organising a group of vehicles as a service: deciding how they are deployed and keeping track of their operation. Combining that work with driving software and digital tools would allow a customer to obtain several parts of a transport operation from one supplier.

Autonomous AtoZ is also looking overseas. The Cheonggyecheon deployment is intended to show potential customers how its shuttle performs in a public service, including customers in the Middle East, where demand for smart city technology is growing rapidly.

For Seoul, the business case also has a local dimension. The city expects the stream route to draw tourists and support nearby shops and other businesses. It sees the service as a demonstration of domestic technology and part of its identity as a centre for smart urban services.

Public Confidence, Jobs and Difficult Streets

Graham Currie, a professor of public transport at Monash University in Melbourne, has expressed strong doubt about the idea that autonomous cars will become the dominant future of travel. He pointed to the variety of situations vehicles encounter on ordinary roads:

The view that autonomous cars are our future is sheer science fiction. It's nonsense, quite frankly. On the street we have dogs, we have children, we have weather, we have other vehicles. Technology hasn't sorted all of that out yet and it may never do.

Seoul's officials remain optimistic about using autonomous services to address persistent driver shortages and make transport more efficient and inclusive. The city's bus drivers' union has raised concerns about safety and job security, calling for retraining and support for workers affected by automation.

The practical difficulties include navigating complex streets, reacting to unpredictable human drivers and coping with adverse weather. Rules also need to address responsibility after an incident, insurance and the privacy of data gathered during operation.

Passengers have their own concerns about reliability and safety. Some are curious and eager to try autonomous vehicles; others are wary. Seoul is responding through public communication, safety testing and gradual expansion based on performance and feedback.

The city expects reduced reliance on human drivers could help with staffing shortages and potentially lower operating costs. Better access for people with disabilities and residents in areas with limited transport is another aim. Achieving those benefits will depend on services that can handle real journeys reliably, including the difficult traffic situations already encountered in trials.

Key Points

• Seoul plans to open a Cheonggyecheon shuttle service as early as late September 2025, following test runs that began in August.
• Two shuttles developed by Autonomous AtoZ will each seat 11 people and have no steering wheel or driver's seat.
• The planned route covers 4.8 kilometres between Cheonggye Plaza and Cheonggye 5-ga, operating on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Initial rides will be free. Each shuttle will have a wheelchair lift and an onboard safety officer assigned to passenger assistance and emergency response, without driving intervention.
• Seoul is also expanding neighbourhood shuttles, buses operating before dawn and around midnight, and planned autonomous taxis in Gangnam.
• The national programme targets Level 4 autonomy in 2025 and includes more than $1 billion in pledged investment by 2027.
• Safety, difficult road conditions, public confidence, regulation and support for affected workers remain central challenges.