Seoul Plans to Launch South Korea's First Level 4 Autonomous Taxi Service in November with RideFlux

According to a report by The Electronic Times of Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has selected local autonomous driving startup RideFlux as the operator for Level 4 autonomous taxis in the Sangam district, with plans to launch the service by late November 2026. This marks the first attempt in South Korea to conduct commercial Level 4 (driver-seat empty) autonomous driving operations on public roads.

Detailed negotiations between the two parties are currently ongoing, and full-scale service preparation will begin once the contract is officially signed. The initial deployment will involve two vehicles based on the mass-produced Genesis GV80 model, equipped with RideFlux's proprietary autonomous driving software and perception-decision technology. Although no one will sit in the driver's seat, a safety manager will be stationed in the front passenger seat during the initial phase to handle unexpected situations, aiming to balance safety and public acceptance.

Seoul had previously announced plans to start operating Level 4 driverless Robotaxis in the Sangam autonomous driving zone in the second half of this year, with intentions to expand the fleet size gradually. The selection of RideFlux and the clarification of the November launch timeline indicate the progress of this initiative. The Seoul government stated that after accumulating real-world driving experience and citizen feedback, it plans to transition step-by-step towards a 'fully driverless' mode similar to Waymo, where no safety personnel are present inside the vehicle.