Hyundai auto group to launch short-distance community mobility service in Sejong

SEOUL -- Buoyed by the successful test run in Seoul, Shucle, a short-distance ride pooling community mobility service launched by South Korea's Hyundai auto group, will make its debut in a provincial city in April as part of a smart city demonstration project. The group will gradually expand its service area and analyze transportation data for a future mobility service platform.

Using an exclusive app, passengers can call up an 11-seater Shucle van and get on and off at any place they want. Shucle vans have no fixed routes. Artificial intelligence analyzes traffic conditions and finds the best route for all of the passengers to ensure quick and efficient travel. A designated seating system is in place.

Hyundai has partnered with KST Mobility, a taxi transport operator, to test Shucle at an apartment town in the northwestern district of Seoul. In the central city of Sejong, which was designed as a testing ground for smart city technologies, the auto group will launch a Shucle service on April 13 by mobilizing 12 vans.

Smart city systems are tested in South Korea webbed with super-fast mobile data communication networks. Through a four-year test project that began in 2017, Sejong will see if smart city technologies can improve various aspects of living such as transport, education, safety, health, energy, and ecology.

The Shucle service was designated as demand-responsive transport (DRT), a form of shared private transport for groups, as part of a smart city demonstration project. Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding with Sejong to introduce the Shucle service by using existing bus stops to enhance the convenience of residents in the service area.

The service in Sejong would utilize artificial intelligence vision technology. An internal camera recognizes the head shape of a passenger and determines whether the passenger sits at a designated seat.