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Seoul to launch first fully driverless bus route on Monday

Published: 29 Mar. 2026, 15:56

An early-morning self-driving express bus, the A741, during a test run [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul will begin operating a fully driverless early morning bus route on Monday, the first of its kind in the country to be completely autonomous for the entirety of its route, including school zones.

The A741 will depart from Gupabal Station in northern Seoul at 3:30 a.m. on weekdays and will run through Gwanghwamun Station in central Seoul before crossing over to southern Seoul. There, it will stop at Sinsa Station before finally making its way to Yangjae Station. The entire route covers 23.5 kilometers (14.6 miles), with one round trip per day. The express-type service will stop at 34 of the 64 stops on the existing No. 741 route, cutting travel time by about 20 minutes one way.

The service also marks a technological step forward. Fully autonomous driving is now possible across the entire route without manual intervention, even in zones with a lower speed limit designated to protect children, the elderly and people with disabilities — areas previously cited as limitations for autonomous buses.

The change follows eased regulations on Jan. 26, allowing autonomous operation along a 0.8-kilometer section near Nokbeon and Muakjae stations in northern Seoul that previously required manual driving.

“Seoul is the first to operate a fully autonomous bus across the entire route,” a city official said.

Passengers must check stops in advance, as the A741 only serves select stations. Riders can search “A741” or “Dawn A741” on search engines such as Naver or Kakao to confirm stop locations.

Riding the bus will be free until further notice, but passengers must still tap a transportation card when boarding and exiting. Standing is not allowed for safety reasons, and passengers cannot board if no seats are available. The bus has 20 seats, including one for the driver.

The first such bus, the A160 route between Dobongsan Station in northern Seoul and Yeongdeungpo Station in western Seoul, introduced in November 2024, recorded no safety incidents over about 27,600 passengers in roughly 15 months of operation. User satisfaction averaged 4.08 out of 5. Notably, 96.2 percent of riders used the service for commuting, with many in their 50s or older, indicating improved mobility for early morning employees such as sanitation workers and security guards.

Buses line up near Seoul Station in Yongsan District in central Seoul on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]

Seoul plans to expand autonomous bus services to address early-morning transportation demand and driver shortages. By April, the city will add two more routes connecting Sanggye in northern Seoul to the Express Bus Terminal in southern Seoul, and another from Geumcheon District Office in southern Seoul to Gwanghwamun in central Seoul, with a long-term goal of building a citywide autonomous transit network.

“We will expand autonomous buses to ease inconvenience for citizens who need to travel early in the morning,” Yeo Jang-kwon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Transportation Bureau, said. “We will ensure that the benefits of advanced transportation services reach socially vulnerable groups first.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-WOOK [[email protected]]