Autonomous Cars In Seoul: How To Take A Ride

So you’ve heard there are autonomous cars in Seoul. Yes, there are autonomous vehicles that you can take a ride in. See what the future has in store. Literally. Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon said “Seoul will become one of the top five cities leading the self driving technology by 2026.” They are well on their way.

There are autonomous taxis in Sangam-dong Seoul right now and they’ll be in Gangnam, around the Cheonggyecheon, and other places before you know it. Read on to figure out how to have a ride in an autonomous car in Korea.

Ready to take an autonomous car ride in Seoul? Here’s how:

What To Know About Autonomous Cars In Seoul

Seoul allocated 125 million dollars over the next five years to the city’s self-driving scheme. The plan is to build a safe autonomous driving infrastructure throughout the city of Seoul. The first pilot autonomous zone in Seoul is in Sangam-dong/DMC area and that’s where YOU can take a ride. This is the first place I’ve actually seen the taxis.

Just a few months back they installed the signboards explaining that the area is an autonomous test bed. Most people don’t seem to realize that they can actually take a ride in the cars so they are mostly going round and round being tested by the “driver” inside. Gangnam is the second pilot autonomous vehicle zone, Yeouido after, and then Magok too. The Cheonggyecheon area will also see self-driving buses circulating this year too.

Currently in Sangam-dong there seem to be three autonomous vehicles in operation and you can see them on the map in the app when you use it. The cars are operated by two private companies, 42dot and SWM. They plan to have more than 50 self-driving cars by 2026 in the area.

After testing cars, Seoul plans to focus on autonomous routes to settle on autonomous bus services as primary public transportation options from 2026. In total, the city has plans to have more than 300 autonomous vehicles and related services by 2026.

The market size of self-driving vehicles is expected to grow from $7.1 billion in 2020 to $1 trillion by 2035 according to the Korea Economic Research Institute. More than half of the newly launched cars that will be sold in 2030 are expected to be equipped with level three autonomous driving technology. Level three autonomous driving means the driver can hand control over to the vehicle but needs to be prepared to take over if/when prompted by the vehicle in various areas like a freeway or a child safety zone.

How Does It Work?

The car moves by itself, though there is a driver in the car because it is technically illegal currently for an autonomous car to be driverless. The car recognizes the traffic lights and on the screen in the backseat and front, you’ll be able to see the cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians that are in the vicinity of the car.

The driver in the car that’s not really driving does take the wheel at certain times when necessary. The driver sits with hands open beneath the wheel ready to grab the wheel in the event of an emergency. There is also an announcement when the car is entering a child safety zone so that the driver can grab the wheel and then the car takes over again after exiting this zone. The autonomous vehicles are not allowed to drive through child safety zones on their own for safety reasons.

How Much Does It Cost?

Your first ride is free, well at least ours was. That may just be during a promotional period. Normally, the ride only costs W2,000.

How To Take A Ride In An Autonomous Vehicle In Seoul

1 Download the “Tap” App

After you download the app, you’ll be prompted to put in your information along with your card information so that you can pay via the app.

2 Find a Ride

When you open the app during service hours, you can see the autonomous vehicles on the map moving around. You can also see the taxi stops. These aren’t the kind of taxis that you can flag down just anywhere. You’ll need to find the stop that you want to get picked up from and then mark the stop that you want to get dropped off at. Confirm.

3 Wait

This isn’t a rollercoaster or a fast experience. These car go the speed limit exactly so it really goes against that bbali-bbali culture of Korea. I mention that because, we had to wait for about 10 minutes for an empty taxi to get to us as it was making the loop around the area. They go on specific streets along specific routes and don’t cut through alleys, etc. so be aware. We just stayed in the cafe that we were inside to wait.

4 Hop In

Apparently only two people can take a ride at the moment. In our group there were 2 adults and 1 child and the driver of the driverless car really didn’t want us to get in. We pressed her a bit because the child can sit in the middle seat. There are technically three seatbelts in the back afterall.

Since I didn’t think we were going to be able to get in, I got my phone out and began to book another one of the taxis so we’d have two so we could all take the ride. The driver ended up calling in to the management and getting it confirmed we could take the “quick” ride. Just know, technically, they’re only allowing two people at the moment. Maybe that will change.

5 Enjoy the Ride

Do NOT expect a thriller. It’s probably the most unremarkable uneventful experience out there. But that’s kind of a good thing when you consider how a lot of drivers in Korea treat the roads and how fast a lot of drivers hit the streets. It’s not going to get you anywhere fast, but it’ll get you there safely.

Currently, it’s illegal for autonomous cars to be driverless. There is a driver in the front seat that sits with their hands beneath the wheel prepared to grab the wheel if they need to. This driver also does take the wheel when going through children safety zones. There’s an announcement made when this handover happens and when it is handed back to the car once again.

What It’s Like To Ride In An Autonomous Vehicle

It was probably the slowest trip around the block I’ve ever taken. Actually, I should rephrase, maybe it was the first time I’ve ever gone around the block and the car went exactly the speed limit the entire time. Taxi drivers in Korea are well-known aggressive speeders. This ride felt extremely safe and, after having ridden with Korean taxi drivers for 15 years, it also felt very slow.

The trip around the block was the most uneventful car ride and that’s probably exactly how you’d want it to be. In the end, it took a bit over 10 minutes to get the nearest empty car to us and then it took a further 10 to go around the block. Go for a ride and tell me how your ride goes!

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