Is Seoul’s Autonomous Taxi Ready for Paid Service? Key Insights and Challenges

[Asia Times = Reporter Ok Han-bin] Seoul’s “Seoul Autonomous Car,” promoted by the city as next-generation mobility, still faces dispatch and service-area constraints as it approaches a paid rollout. The system functions more as an assisted service than a fully autonomous one.

An Asia Times reporter hailed a Seoul Autonomous Car at about 11:50 p.m. on the 27th, requesting a trip from Apgujeong Station to Yangjae Station to assess the project’s readiness ahead of the paid transition.

The Seoul Autonomous Car program is an AI-based self-driving taxi initiative led by Seoul City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The city selected operators and has run the pilot since September 2024; the service is due to switch to paid operation on the 6th of next month. To mitigate profitability concerns for operators, Seoul provides about a 35% technical development support payment as a cost-preservation subsidy.

The pilot operates within roughly 20.4 km² in the Gangnam area, with 7 vehicles in service (5 from SWM, 2 from Kakao Mobility). Service hours on weekdays run from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and rides can be booked only through the KakaoT app within the coverage zone.

As of Feb. 28, the city reports 7,754 cumulative rides and no accidents. Current fares are: 22:00–23:00 and 02:00–04:00 — 5,800 KRW (about $4.35); 23:00–02:00 — 6,700 KRW (about $5.03); 04:00–05:00 — 4,800 KRW (about $3.60).

The app matched the request with a vehicle in about 10 minutes. Given the high taxi demand in Gangnam after last trains on a Friday night, that response was better than expected.

The vehicle arrived dressed in typical autonomous-car hardware — multiple sensors and styling cues associated with self-driving platforms. Inside, an AI passenger monitor and other interface elements were immediately noticeable, features uncommon in standard taxis.

Once the car pulled away, however, a ride-along manager took the wheel. He said the system is designed to default to autonomous operation, but a city GPS issue that night prevented autonomous driving and required manual control for the entire trip.

The manager explained that when GPS or related systems fail, he takes over for safety. He also switches to manual control in sensitive areas such as school zones. According to him, GPS issues have become more frequent this month, and he has often had to drive manually as a result.

During the roughly 15-minute trip while the manager drove, there were no notable discomforts or safety issues — the ride felt much like a conventional taxi.

The manager was also actively engaged in non-driving tasks. At each stop he used a device to log road and vehicle data, an operational duty that accompanies his driving responsibilities.

“Since joining, I’ve been assigned both driving and data-collection duties,” he said. “At this stage, the project’s primary objective remains gathering data.”

After that first ride, attempts to book another car through the app for more than 30 minutes failed.

The program’s stated goals include filling gaps in public transit and improving convenience. In practice, limited vehicle numbers make it difficult to rely on. The service averages only about 2 to 4 calls per hour, reinforcing the impression that the initiative remains focused on testing and data collection rather than operating as a full public transport service.

A Seoul City official in the Future Advanced Transportation Division said the city judged the pilot sufficiently stable and accepted by citizens to move to paid operation. He added that expanding vehicle numbers and service hours requires agreement with the taxi industry, so rapid scaling is not feasible.

On GPS management, the official said each operator handles its own fleet’s GPS systems and that the city is not responsible for those systems. He said autonomous-driving interruptions are not common to his knowledge and noted the city cannot be aware of every equipment malfunction.