Autonomous A2Z will deploy a Level 4 autonomous driving shuttle at the Gangneung Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress. The company said on Wednesday it will operate its self-developed ROii at the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, held from Oct. 19 to 23 around Gangneung Olympic Park. The congress, the world’s largest event in the transport sector, is being held in South Korea for the third time following Seoul in 1998 and Busan in 2010.

A2Z obtained approval for a passenger transport demonstration plan in the Gangneung autonomous vehicle pilot operation zone to coincide with the congress. Under the plan, ROii will run an about 2.6-km circular route starting from the technology demonstration site and looping past the rear gate of Gangneung Olympic Park, Gangneung Ice Arena and Gangneung Convention Center. One vehicle will operate every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., up to 16 trips a day, with each round taking about 10 minutes. On-site boarding and reservations are free for anyone.

ROii, which has no driver’s seat, is a Level 4 autonomous vehicle independently developed by A2Z for service use. Level 4 refers to driving without driver intervention under defined conditions. One test driver will ride along, and up to 8 passengers can board. The interior includes U-shaped seating, a wheelchair boarding space, a ramp and two-way sliding doors. It will also demonstrate technology for handling real road situations such as navigating roundabouts, avoiding illegally parked vehicles and entering merging roads.

Min-sang Yoo (유민상), chief strategy officer, will take part as a speaker in 2 special sessions on Oct. 20 and 21. Yoo is also a member of the CCAM Promoter Ambassador Advisory Committee at ERTICO, a European intelligent transport systems organisation. On Oct. 20, recommended by the Korea Intelligent Transport Systems Association, he will speak at a session on public transport and shared services, presenting the view that autonomous shuttles and buses should link with rail and large buses to fill gaps in transport services. Omio Automation of Australia, MapTM of the Netherlands and the Korea Transport Institute will join.

On Oct. 21, he will deliver the first presentation in a session covering the commercialisation and operation of global autonomous driving services. He will introduce implications from commercialisation experience at home and abroad and the diffusion process by market. The session will discuss ways to cut costs, secure users and improve accessibility for transport-disadvantaged people based on cases from Europe, Asia and the United States.

Ji-hyung Han (한지형), chief executive of Autonomous A2Z, said, "It is meaningful to be able to showcase our self-developed autonomous vehicle and our service operation experience at the Gangneung ITS World Congress, where transport and mobility officials from around the world gather." He said, "Based on our experience in overseas markets, we will expand autonomous driving services tailored to transport demand in each country and strengthen global cooperation so that ROii can establish itself as a means of everyday transport for people around the world beyond South Korea."