SEOUL: South Korea has approved its first paid self-driving freight transport service, authorizing autonomous driving startup RideFlux to begin commercial cargo operations on a long-distance route linking Seoul and Jincheon. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the service is scheduled to start in June, marking the first time a company in the country has been cleared to carry freight for payment using autonomous vehicle technology on a regular basis.
RideFlux will operate a 25-ton truck on a 112-kilometer section connecting the logistics complex in Songpa, southeastern Seoul, with Lotte Global Logistics’ Jincheon Mega Hub terminal in North Chungcheong Province. The service will handle parcel cargo and run at up to 90 kilometers per hour. Operations are set for weekday nights from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., a schedule designed for lower traffic periods on the route.
The approval gives RideFlux the right to provide paid cargo transport using autonomous driving on a corridor that includes both expressway driving and urban road access tied to logistics facilities. South Korea has previously allowed autonomous vehicle trials and pilot programs, but this permit moves freight transport into a paid commercial setting. The route connects two major logistics points and places the new service in the middle-mile segment of the delivery market.
RideFlux Commercial Service Starts With Safety Controls
For the initial phase, a test driver will remain in the driver’s seat as a safety measure while the autonomous system handles the route. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the service will later move to a second phase with a safety operator seated in the passenger seat before any further transition. The Jungbu Expressway corridor has been used as part of South Korea’s broader autonomous vehicle pilot framework, giving regulators and operators an established environment for monitored deployment.
RideFlux said the permit followed more than 60 days of preliminary operations and testing with loaded freight, including 11-ton cargo trials, and that it cleared all 13 safety assessment criteria required during the review process. The company also disclosed last month that one of its autonomous trucks completed the Seoul to Jincheon route carrying freight without manual intervention, a test it presented as evidence of the maturity of its Level 4 autonomous driving software for freight use.
Seoul-Jincheon Route Marks First Paid Approval
The new permit centers on a route that begins in the Seoul metropolitan area and ends at one of the country’s major inland logistics terminals, giving the launch immediate relevance for commercial parcel distribution. By focusing on a repeat corridor between freight hubs, the service aligns autonomous driving with scheduled cargo movements that are easier to standardize and monitor. The approved operating window, vehicle type and route length were all specified as part of the service rollout announced by the ministry.
The approval also fits into South Korea’s wider push to expand practical autonomous transport services in passenger and freight markets. In policy guidance issued earlier this year, the transport ministry said support for autonomous freight services would be added as part of efforts to speed commercialization of long-distance and high-speed autonomous driving. With the June launch, the RideFlux permit becomes the first concrete paid freight service to move forward under that policy direction in South Korea. – By Content Syndication Services.