Seoul - (AFP) - On Friday, Seoul launched the first self-driving bus line on its roads, as part of an experiment that, according to the engineers who designed the bus, aims to make residents more confident in this type of vehicle.

"These vehicles will shape the future," said Jung Song-gyan, who is in charge of the autonomous vehicle division at the startup "42 Dot," which was acquired by the South Korean "Hyundai Group."

He pointed out in a statement to Agence France-Presse that the bus is somewhat similar to a "Lego game" because it is made of composite parts in order to reduce costs and make its manufacture an easy process.

He stated that the company's goal is to make this technology inexpensive, safer and can be adopted in a large number of types of vehicles, such as trucks.

For now, the new bus will autonomously drive a new 3.4-kilometer route around the center of the South Korean capital, under the supervision of a driver. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the track.

Residents can take the bus from one of the two stations designated for it, after reserving a seat through an application, for free.

Jeong Song-gyan explained that the bus relies on a camera and radar to run, not sensors that are expensive.
During the day of the launch of the bus line, a large number of passers-by seemed amazed by its design, while some of them stopped to take pictures of it and inspect it from the inside, and others started asking questions to the "42 Dot" employees who were present in the place.

"I feel like I'm inside a transport from the future," said Kim Ye Hye-ran, 68, after boarding the bus.