Transfer centers with urban air mobility infrastructure to be established in S. Korea

By Kim Joo-heon Posted : March 28, 2023, 18:01 Updated : March 31, 2023, 10:23

[Courtesy of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

SEOUL -- Transfer centers with urban air mobility, an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas, and autonomous vehicles will be established at major stations in South Korea. Passengers who just got off the train stations can take next-generation transporters to reach their final destinations.
 
According to a committee under South Korea's transport ministry, four stations were selected to demonstrate transfer centers with future transportation systems -- PyeongtaekJije Station, Gangneung Station, Masan Station, and Daejeon Station. A task force consisting of experts in transportation and urban planning will be formed to build infrastructure.
 
UAM infrastructure includes vertiports and a control system. Aerial vehicles are required to fly through corridors to prevent accidents and improve the safety of pedestrians on the land. Vertiports will be placed on safe places like rooftops.
 
Through UAM Team Korea, a public-private consultative body, South Korea aims to commercialize manned drone taxis in 2025. Remote-controlled vehicles will be adopted in 2030 and a fully autonomous service in 2035. A safety manager will board each flying vehicle until pilots are no longer needed.
 
South Korea's capital city has unveiled its scheme to adopt more than 300 autonomous vehicles and related services by 2026. In February 2022, an autonomous vehicle-hailing service made its debut in Seoul's western district by deploying four self-driving vehicles. Self-driving cars can be hailed from any location on the circulation routes using a designated smartphone app.
 
In December 2022, two self-driving buses were deployed to the 44.8-kilometer return bus route that connects the central city of Sejong to Cheongju some 22.4 kilometers (13.9 miles) north of Sejong, and back.
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