Gyeonggi Province to Pilot Autonomous Cooperative Driving Bus in Pangyo Techno Valley

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province's autonomous cooperative driving bus project will begin test operations in Pangyo Techno Valley starting next month.

Based on the test results, the province plans to deploy autonomous cooperative driving buses on regular roads in Pangyo Techno Valley as early as September, marking what is expected to be the first domestic case of autonomous buses operating alongside regular vehicles.

On the 17th, Gyeonggi Province announced the plan, explaining that it successfully completed a driving test of the autonomous cooperative driving bus on the 9th at the K-City autonomous driving test site operated by the Automotive Safety Research Institute located in Hwaseong, and passed the temporary operation permit review.

Following this, after acquiring the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport autonomous driving temporary operation license by the end of this month, test operations are scheduled to begin in June.

An autonomous vehicle refers to a vehicle capable of driving by itself through self-recognition, judgment, and control, without manipulation by a driver or passenger.

The autonomous cooperative driving bus differs from general autonomous vehicles in that it operates while receiving infrastructure information such as signal information, crosswalk pedestrian status, and traffic conditions from the control center.

Since the autonomous driving function is supplemented by information from the control center, it has the advantage of higher efficiency and safety.

The autonomous cooperative driving bus beginning test operations in June is an improved version of a commercial low-floor electric bus manufactured by Edison Motors to enable autonomous cooperative driving.

Measuring 10.99m in length, 2.49m in width, and 3.39m in height, it differs from buses currently operating on regular roads in that it has 20 seats rather than 48 seats.

The bus is equipped with sensors such as radar and lidar, as well as an autonomous driving system, allowing the vehicle to operate on its own.

Traffic infrastructure information including signal information, crosswalk pedestrian status, and traffic conditions is provided by the Gyeonggi Autonomous Driving Center located in Pangyo.

During the test operation period, only administrators will board without passengers to monitor driving conditions.

The operation route will run a 7km round-trip between Pangyo Techno Valley 1 and Techno Valley 2 for the convenience of commuters working in Pangyo.
The bus is equipped with functionality to comply with the legal maximum speed limit (0~50km/h) on the route.

Without driver intervention, the bus can automatically adjust its speed according to the driving conditions of the vehicle ahead, and automatically steer the bus to maintain the center of the driving lane or prevent lane departure.

If objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, or bicycles suddenly appear in front, the bus can recognize them through sensors and stop safely even in urgent collision situations.

To ensure safety, there is also a function that automatically stops the system if a driver intervenes through accelerator pedal or brake pedal manipulation.

The province plans to determine matters related to the general operation of the autonomous cooperative driving bus, such as fares and operation frequency, following the pilot operation.

Ryu Gwang-yeol, Director of Economic Affairs of the Province, said, "Gyeonggi Province will take a leading role in solving traffic problems and advancing industry through a mobility revolution led by autonomous driving."

Meanwhile, in the driving test on the 9th, the autonomous cooperative driving bus's inter-vehicle distance maintenance system, lane departure prevention system, emergency braking system, and automatic lane change system were tested on test courses that created an experimental environment similar to actual road conditions at K-City, with a vehicle operator aboard.