Look, no hands! My trip on Seoul's self-driving bus - BBC News

A technology company has been testing autonomous buses on the streets of the South Korean capital.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, News1Image caption, The A21 self-driving bus on a street in Seoul, South KoreaBy Nick MarshBusiness reporterThere is a moment on the A21 bus, at around midnight, when the man in the driver's seat presses a small red button on his dashboard.

He smiles, then lets go of the steering wheel and lifts his feet from the pedals. The vehicle continues to glide through the streets of South Korea's capital, Seoul, turning corners and stopping at traffic lights. No-one on board seems to notice.

"One day all the buses in Seoul will be driverless," says Park Sang-uk, head of operations at SUM (Smart YoUr Mobility).

His company has spent the past four years developing the city's new self-driving night bus, which authorities say is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. These kinds of buses and cars are known as autonomous vehicles or AVs.

"There are fewer and fewer people who want to drive buses, especially at night," Mr Park says. "This is the perfect solution to help fill that void."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68823705

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