Hwaseong City Autonomous Shuttle Bus to Operate in Dongtan Through June

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Hwaseong City announced on the 4th that it will conduct a trial operation of autonomous shuttle buses on Dongtan-daero for two months until June 2nd.

The vehicle used for the trial operation is a 15-passenger bus at 'Level 3' autonomous driving level, employing conditional autonomous driving that switches to manual mode only when driver intervention is necessary, such as in school zones or congested areas.

The operating route is a 6.6km round trip from Dongtan Station to Dongtan Lake Park intersection, running six times daily from Tuesday to Saturday at every hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Citizens wishing to experience the shuttle can register in advance via email (annsanns@korea.kr) or apply at bus stops within the operating route before boarding.

The city plans to use pre- and post-ride citizen surveys as basic data for future mobility policy development.

Additionally, during the same period, the city will organize an exhibition on eco-friendly vehicles and autonomous driving in front of the Dongtan 4-dong Administrative Welfare Center plaza.

Visitors will be able to see Logi, an autonomous delivery robot by Unmanned Solution Co., Ltd., an autonomous vehicle data collection vehicle for AI learning by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automobile Safety Research Institute, D2, an urban autonomous vehicle by Autonomos A2Z Co., Ltd., and ELEC E6, an autonomous vehicle developed by U.S. autonomous driving startup MayMobility.

At the pre-boarding event held on the 2nd prior to the trial operation, Mayor Seo Cheol-mo, National Assemblyman Lee Won-uk, Hwaseong City Council Chairman Won Yu-min, Provincial Assemblyman Kim Tae-hyung, City Council Members Bae Jung-soo, Ku Hyuk-mo, and Shin Mi-sook, and citizen representatives participated to inspect preparations and safety measures for the trial operation.

Hwaseong City Council Chairman Won Yu-min said, "We expect that more full-scale autonomous driving services will be developed and demonstrated in our city going forward," and added, "The council will actively support the development of the future vehicle industry."

Hwaseong City Mayor Seo Cheol-mo stated, "I hope this becomes an opportunity for young students to dream of their future aspirations, and we will do our best to ensure citizens' right to mobility through free public transportation, the Green New Deal, and fostering future mobility industries that can reduce carbon emissions."

For more information regarding the autonomous shuttle trial operation, inquiries can be made to Hwaseong City's Strategic Business Division (031-5189-2277, 2851).