Gangneung will launch a late-night autonomous vehicle service Friday to help residents and tourists get around after public transit shuts down for the night.
The service operates on a demand-responsive transit (DRT) model, dispatching a vehicle directly to wherever a rider summons it by pressing a button at a designated stop.
The city secured the service after being selected in February for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's autonomous driving pilot zone service support program.
Two PV5 vehicles — modified for autonomous driving and equipped with state-of-the-art LiDAR, cameras and sensors — will handle the routes, enabling safe operation even in the more unpredictable conditions of nighttime roads. A professional safety driver will also ride in each vehicle to respond to unexpected situations, in compliance with legal safety standards.
The service covers stops along the existing 27.3-kilometer tourist autonomous vehicle route, including Gangneung Station, the intercity bus terminal, Gyodong District and Anmok Beach.
Vehicles will run every Friday through Monday, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning. Each vehicle seats up to four passengers, and the service is free.
Riders can book a trip through the dedicated mobile app Shucle by entering a departure stop and destination, after which the vehicle calculates the optimal route in real time. Those who cannot use the app may call a dedicated hotline to request a vehicle.
Meanwhile, during last month's 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, the city ran a technology demonstration program that gave 684 participants a chance to experience autonomous driving. Over the course of the event, the tourist autonomous vehicle carried 433 passengers while the remote-area route vehicle transported 118, showcasing a range of autonomous driving services.
Im Sin-hyeok, head of Gangneung's ITS Promotion Division, said the late-night service builds on the operational expertise accumulated through the existing tourist autonomous vehicle program. "After the ITS World Congress, we will continue to push forward with various future mobility services — including an autonomous driving demonstration city and an unmanned DRT autonomous driving pilot project," Im said.
abc@heraldcorp.com
