Autonomous A2Z said on Tuesday it began pilot operations of its GM1 self-driving bus in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The bus will run free on a 24-km round trip route linking Cheolsan Station, Gwangmyeong Station and Gwangmyeong Cave until the end of the year. The route combines the living area near Cheolsan Station, the KTX Gwangmyeong Station transport hub and the Gwangmyeong Cave tourist site into a single line.

The service uses 1 electric bus based on the Hyundai County EV and can carry 14 passengers. A2Z supplies the vehicle with Level 4 autonomous driving technology applied. It is equipped with 4 lidars, 8 cameras and 1 radar to reduce blind spots and enable all-around perception. A safety driver intervenes if an unexpected situation arises. A service manager who helps with passenger boarding and guidance also rides along.

The company explained that the project focuses on improving safety by linking road infrastructure with vehicle technology. A2Z built a Lidar Infrastructure System (LIS) at the Costco intersection in Gwangmyeong and the intersection in front of the Soha public parking lot. Each site has a 128-channel lidar, an industrial PC and 5G communications equipment installed. The LIS detects surrounding objects such as pedestrians with lidar installed on the road and informs the vehicle. It complements areas beyond the reach of the vehicle's sensors.

The effectiveness of the LIS was confirmed in Daegu in September last year. The company said the LIS detected a jaywalking pedestrian and transmitted the information, prompting an autonomous vehicle to slow down, avoid the pedestrian and return to normal driving. A2Z will use this verification experience for vehicle-infrastructure linkage in Gwangmyeong.

The bus will operate 2 round trips daily from Wednesday to Sunday, excluding public holidays. It departs Cheolsan Station at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and leaves Gwangmyeong Cave at 11:40 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. Passengers can board at stops without reservations. The service will run through December, and expansion after next year will be reviewed. A2Z has operated self-driving buses and shuttles in Seoul, Sejong, Daegu and Anyang and has expanded into Singapore, the UAE and Japan. Its cumulative driving distance is 1.15 million km, the longest among domestic autonomous driving companies.

Jihyeong Han (한지형), CEO of Autonomous A2Z, said, "To commercialise autonomous driving, it is important to expand services that citizens can use conveniently in the sections where they actually need to travel." He said, "By providing the vehicles and technology needed for the pilot operation in Gwangmyeong, we will connect citizens' living areas with transportation and tourism hubs, and we will work so that demand-tailored autonomous driving services can be introduced in more regions."