There is a time on the A21 vehicle, at around nightfall, when the person in the vehicle’s chair presses a little red button on his dashboard.
He exclaims a “hello,” then releases the wheel vehicle, releasing the wheels, and lifts his foot. The car continues to sail through the streets of South Korea’s money, Seoul, turning walls and stopping at traffic lights. No-one on table seems to see.
” One day all the buses in Seoul will be driverless,” says Park Kang-uk, head of operations at SUM ( Smart YoUr Mobility ).
Authorities claim the state’s new self-driving day bus, which his company has developed is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, has been developed for the past four years. Cars and other types of vehicles are referred to as autonomous cars or AVs.
” There are fewer and fewer people who want to travel cars, especially at night,” Mr Park says. This is the ideal way to fill that void. “
The silent night-time roads are also the best place to check the technologies, which is still far from perfect.
On board are some security precautions. For instance, when seated, individuals must always be fast enough to buckle up.
Someone in the driver’s chair even has the ability to take control of the vehicle in the event that something goes wrong. Soon, Mr Park insists, there wo n’t be any need for that.
The trip is largely smooth. It stopped about 20 times along the way before moving past the glittering shops of the city center and then into the city’s more dimly lit residential neighborhoods.
At first, looking at the wheel vehicle moving by itself, finally seeing the vehicle spirit to the left and right consequently, is enough to fill you with dread. But shortly that feeling moves.
Having said that, there are occasions when the vehicle needs to take the wheel and apply the brakes. These uncontrollable jerks serve as a reminder that human drivers are traveling and that the bus’s artificial intelligence ( AI ) is not prepared for every circumstance.
The majority of the customers were surprisingly uneasy. ” I was excited to try this,” said one undergraduate on his way home from school. ” The fact that it’s a late-night vehicle also means it does reduce the burden on individuals. “
I had no thought this was a vehicle with no drivers! ” It was one person who had just finished her job. ” You really would n’t know. “
Another pupil, visiting from the Netherlands, seemed a little less confident:” I was a little nervous getting ashore. I was a little reassured by the driver’s presence when I saw him. “
The Society of Automotive Engineers, based in the US, ranks AVs from Level 1 to Level 5.
Levels 1 and 2 deal with cars with features like cruise control, while Level 5 deals with fully automatic vehicles that can work in any position and under any circumstances. These do not now occur.
Seoul’s fresh night vehicle is a Level 3 car, which means that some people intervention is required in specific situations.
The most cutting-edge AVs are currently in use in China and the United States, and travellers can get Level 4 taxis in Beijing and some of California and Arizona. These vehicles must adhere to specific highways and routes without using a security drivers.
How far can self-driving technology truly progress is up for debate. Some specialists doubt whether absolutely automatic automotive traffic is possible without a total overhaul of how our cities functionality.
The notion that self-driving vehicles will be the next big thing is pure technology fiction, according to Graham Currie, a professor of public transportation at Monash University in Melbourne.
” It’s nonsense, very simply. On the street we have puppies, we have kids, we have conditions, we have other cars. Technology has n’t yet resolved everything, and it might never do so. “
Governments are particularly interested in intelligent public transportation, according to Professor Currie, because the vehicle’s income accounts for the majority of the cost of a vehicle course. Obviously, this has led to some problem among bus drivers.
Seoul’s 18,000 vehicle drivers, according to the trade union that the city state has not contacted them about its plans for an automatic future.
” Self-driving should never replace human workers entirely,” says Yoo Jae-ho, Secretary-General of the Seoul City Bus Union. ” Right now, I do n’t think that’s even possible- it’s too dangerous. “
If self-driving engineering is available and can be used in a given time, it should be combined with re-education and re-hiring support programs for vehicle drivers and maintenance personnel. “
By 2027, South Korean authorities intend to invest more than$ 1 billion ( £810 million ) in projects to develop autonomous driving technologies and build related infrastructure.
China is even making leaps when it comes to self-driving cars. Next week, the ride-hailing company Didi announced a collaboration with state-owned electronic vehicle maker GAC Aion to mass-produce a ship of Level 4 robotaxis.
Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, announced earlier this month that Tesla would release its unique robot axi in August.
However, Professor Currie contends that investing in private AVs does n’t do much to address the real transportation issues cities face.
” I do n’t want to be negative. I do believe it’s worth experimenting with new networks,” he said. ” But I find myself being sceptical”.
” Having hundreds of autonomous cars driving through a city, which is frequently bare, is only going to make our streets more congested, no less. “
Up on the A21, we reach the end of the line. The person behind the wheel, an ex-bus vehicle who’s in his 60s, waves me good. Before I leave, I inquire what he thinks of the new technologies.
” It’s easy for me to say, but I think it’s great,” he laughs. I do n’t think many people would miss driving a bus at night because it’s difficult. “
Hosu Lee contributed to this report.