Self-driving taxis introduced in popular Korean tourist destination Jeju Island

Korea is bringing autonomous taxi trials outside Seoul and into Jeju island. Also known as self-driving or driverless taxis, the Korean government started trials on the popular tourist island on Thursday (3-November-2022).

The self-driving vehicles will operate on two routes. The first route will run along the coast of Jeju Island from the Jeju International Airport. The stretch spans 16 km and will pass through tourist attractions such as the Yongduam Rock and Iho Tewoo Beach.

Route 1 around the coastal roads of Jeju Island

The second route is set within the Jungmun Tourism Complex located in the south part of the island and spans a stretch of 5 km.

On weekdays, the trial will see three vehicles operate from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. Currently, the service is still free for both tourists and residents up until next year.

Second route around the Jungmun Tourism Complex spans 5 km

All passengers need to do when they enter the car is input their destinations on the vehicle’s onboard navigation. The destination has to be within the vehicle’s operational scope. At the moment, an safety manager will remain onboard in case of an emergency.

The Transport Ministry picked Jeju Island as the location to carry out autonomous taxi service trials because the island is a popular tourist spot for not just Koreans but foreigners as well. They hope that the autonomous taxis would help further enhance tourism satisfaction on the island.

Yongduam Rock, Jeju Island, Korea

The self-driving taxi service will be operated by Tamna Autonomous Car and the vehicles used are the old Electric.