The country's first self-driving bus in service passes a bus station in Sejong City, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

The country's first self-driving buses will start operating on a 22.4-kilometer route between Sejong Intercity Bus Terminal and Osong Station in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday.

The Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development had wanted to create and promote an autonomous commercial bus system in the region, so it selected the project as a joint business initiative.

The self-driving buses will be given a separate route number and operate alongside regular city buses.

For now, only two autonomous buses will operate on the course, which is called the bus rapid transit route or BRT. A driver and safety worker will be aboard for safety reasons.

Self-driving buses will run a total of six round trips between noon and 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday and will stop at eight stops on the existing BRT route.

Anyone can use the autonomous bus for free by applying for the trial program in advance with a QR code printed on posters displayed at some BRT stops. After a three-month trial run, passengers will be charged the normal city bus fare.

The ministry presented its goal of commercializing a fully autonomous bus service in the city by 2025 under its Roadmap to Innovation Mobility plan revealed in September.

The government explained further that it can also expand the autonomous driving service if there is enough demand, thereby implementing a demand-responsive transport (DRT) route that uses the QR code system to determine route frequency.

"The BRT (bus rapid transit) route autonomous transportation service is the country's first case of a self-driving bus driving on major roads. We plan to expand the service in Daejeon next year and Jochiwon, Gongju, Cheonan and Asan, all in North Chungcheong Province, after 2024," Second Vice Minister Eo Myeong-so said.