Bus, taxi workers feel vulnerable over self-driving future

Seoul’s planned expansion of autonomous buses and taxis is raising concerns among transport workers about job security, safety and responsibility. Union representatives want safeguards and a meaningful role in policymaking, while city officials say the technology will initially address driver shortages. Seoul aims to introduce 500 Level 4 autonomous buses by 2030, while retaining safety drivers and monitoring personnel as the system develops.

Seoul currently operates 16 autonomous buses, and the planned 500-bus fleet would equal about 6.8 percent of the capital’s current bus fleet.

Seoul currently operates 19 late-night autonomous taxis, mostly in Gangnam, and plans to extend their service hours and operating area.

The average age of taxi drivers in Seoul is 64, and some drivers do not view possible displacement as an immediate threat because they expect to retire within a few years.

A three-year agreement among Seoul, the Seoul Bus Transport Association and Hyundai Motor supports the goal of introducing 500 Level 4 autonomous city buses by 2030.

A Seoul city official said autonomous buses would first be deployed in service gaps caused by driver shortages, including some early-morning routes.

Published Oct 8, 2026 5:08 pm KST

Updated Oct 8, 2026 6:30 pm KST

Unions seek voice in transition as Seoul expands autonomous services

Visitors look at an autonomous shuttle bus at the 2026 Autonomous Mobility Industry Expo at Coex in Seoul, Aug. 25. Newsis

Seoul’s push to expand the use of autonomous buses and taxis is raising questions about the future of transport workers, with unionized drivers calling for stronger safeguards and a greater say in a transition that could eventually threaten their jobs.

While city officials say the technology will initially help address driver shortages rather than displace workers, union representatives want clear answers about their future job security, passenger safety and responsibility in the event of an accident.

“Self-driving technology should be limited to supporting human drivers, instead of replacing them,” a Seoul bus union official surnamed Yoo told The Korea Times recently. “Operating without humans is neither feasible nor desirable.”

He said drivers’ responsibilities extend beyond simply steering and braking to responding to passenger inquiries, preventing door-related injuries and handling unexpected incidents. He supported technology that can assist them with risks such as drowsy driving and blind spots, but questioned whether the policy direction of replacing human workers with machines was wise or necessary.

His concerns come as the Seoul Metropolitan Government is preparing to move self-driving buses beyond small-scale pilot programs and into regular city bus service.

Under a three-year agreement signed with the Seoul Bus Transport Association and Hyundai Motor, the city government aims to introduce 500 Level 4 autonomous city buses, which can handle all driving tasks without human intervention within set conditions, by 2030. Seoul currently has 16 autonomous buses in operation. If the target is met, the 500 buses would represent about 6.8 percent of the capital’s current bus fleet.

The interior of an autonomous taxi in September 2024 / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Many taxi drivers also feel increasingly vulnerable to the technology, which is evolving quickly with the development of artificial intelligence, said a labor-management director at the National Taxi Labor Union Federation surnamed Oh.

“We know we cannot stop it simply by opposing it,” Oh said.

He said drivers increasingly recognize that autonomous taxis could eventually threaten their jobs, although the limited trials in Seoul are not yet seen as directly affecting their earnings.

Their concerns are fueled by rapid self-driving developments in the United States and China, which make the prospect of a similar future in Korea seem increasingly real, he said.

Seoul currently operates 19 late-night autonomous taxis, mostly in the Gangnam area, and plans to gradually extend their service hours and expand their operating area.

Despite concerns, he said drivers have not yet strongly opposed the wider adoption of the technology. Part of the reason is that many are nearing retirement and do not see the prospect of displacement as an immediate threat, he added. The average age of taxi drivers in Seoul is 64.

“Many think they can work a few more years and then retire,” he said.

The labor union representatives said they do not intended to stand in the way of technological innovation. However, they stressed that better working conditions and measures to protect workers’ livelihoods should be part of the policymaking process, with workers given a meaningful say in decisions affecting their future.

City officials cautioned against interpreting the self-driving bus deployment target as an imminent move to eliminate human drivers.

Lee Su-jin, director of the city government’s future mobility division, said autonomous buses would first address service gaps caused by driver shortages.

“Seoul currently faces driver shortages that prevent it from deploying buses on some routes, including early-morning services. Our principle is to introduce autonomous buses into those service gaps first,” she said.

Lee said safety drivers and personnel to monitor the vehicles would remain necessary as the technology develops and its use expands, making immediate job losses unlikely.

“If workers need to take on different roles, we will need to work through that together,” she said.

首尔计划扩大自动驾驶公交车和出租车的运营规模，引发了交通运输从业人员对工作保障、安全和责任问题的担忧。工会代表希望获得保障措施，并在政策制定中发挥实质性作用，而市政府官员则表示，这项技术初期将缓解司机短缺问题。首尔的目标是到2030年投入使用500辆L4级自动驾驶公交车，同时在系统发展过程中保留安全驾驶员和监控人员。

首尔目前运营着 16 辆无人驾驶公交车，计划中的 500 辆公交车车队将占首都现有公交车队的约 6.8%。

首尔目前运营着 19 辆夜间无人驾驶出租车，主要集中在江南区，并计划扩大其服务时间和运营范围。

首尔出租车司机的平均年龄为 64 岁，一些司机并不认为可能面临的失业威胁迫在眉睫，因为他们预计几年内就会退休。

首尔市、首尔巴士运输协会和现代汽车公司达成了一项为期三年的协议，旨在支持到 2030 年引进 500 辆 L4 级自动驾驶城市公交车的目标。

首尔市一位官员表示，无人驾驶公交车将首先投入使用，以填补因司机短缺造成的服务空白，包括一些清晨线路。

发布于2026年10月8日下午5:08（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月8日韩国时间下午6:30

随着首尔扩大自治服务，工会寻求在转型过程中发出声音

8月25日，参观者在首尔COEX会展中心举行的2026年自动驾驶产业博览会上观看自动驾驶穿梭巴士。（图片来源：Newsis）

首尔大力推广自动驾驶公交车和出租车，引发了人们对交通运输从业人员未来的担忧。工会司机呼吁加强保障措施，并在可能最终威胁到他们工作的转型过程中拥有更大的发言权。

虽然市政府官员表示，这项技术最初将有助于解决司机短缺问题，而不是取代工人，但工会代表希望得到关于他们未来的工作保障、乘客安全以及发生事故时的责任的明确答复。

“自动驾驶技术应该仅限于辅助人类驾驶员，而不是取代他们，”首尔一位姓柳的公交工会官员近日告诉《韩国时报》。“完全无人驾驶既不可行也不可取。”

他表示，驾驶员的职责不仅限于操控方向盘和刹车，还包括回应乘客的询问、防止车门造成的伤害以及处理突发事件。他支持利用技术辅助驾驶员应对疲劳驾驶和盲点等风险，但质疑用机器取代人类驾驶员的政策方向是否明智或必要。

他的担忧正值首尔市政府准备将自动驾驶公交车从小型试点项目推广到常规城市公交服务之际。

根据首尔市政府与首尔巴士运输协会和现代汽车公司签署的三年协议，首尔市政府计划到2030年引进500辆L4级自动驾驶城市公交车。这些公交车在特定条件下无需人工干预即可完成所有驾驶任务。首尔目前已有16辆自动驾驶公交车投入运营。如果目标得以实现，这500辆公交车将约占首尔现有公交车队的6.8%。

2024年9月自动驾驶出租车的内部景象 / 图片由首尔市政府提供

全国出租车工会联合会的一位姓吴的劳资关系主管表示，许多出租车司机也越来越感到自己容易受到人工智能快速发展带来的技术威胁。

“我们知道，仅仅反对是无法阻止它的，”吴说。

他表示，司机们越来越意识到，自动驾驶出租车最终可能会威胁到他们的工作，尽管首尔的有限试验尚未被视为直接影响他们的收入。

他表示，美国和中国自动驾驶技术的快速发展加剧了他们的担忧，这使得韩国未来出现类似情况的前景似乎越来越现实。

首尔目前运营着 19 辆夜间无人驾驶出租车，主要集中在江南地区，并计划逐步延长服务时间，扩大运营范围。

他表示，尽管存在担忧，但司机们尚未强烈反对这项技术的广泛应用。他补充说，部分原因是许多司机即将退休​​，并不认为失业会立即构成威胁。首尔出租车司机的平均年龄为64岁。

他说：“很多人认为他们还可以再工作几年然后退休。”

工会代表表示，他们无意阻碍技术创新。然而，他们强调，改善工作条件和保障工人生计的措施应纳入政策制定过程，工人应在影响自身未来的决策中拥有切实的发言权。

市政府官员告诫不要将自动驾驶公交车的部署目标解读为即将取消人类驾驶员的举措。

市政府未来交通部门主管李秀珍表示，自动驾驶公交车将首先解决因司机短缺造成的服务缺口。

“首尔目前面临司机短缺的问题，导致部分线路，包括清晨的班次，无法投入公交车运营。我们的原则是首先用自动驾驶公交车填补这些服务空白，”她说道。

李表示，随着技术的发展和应用范围的扩大，安全驾驶员和监控车辆的人员仍然必不可少，因此不太可能立即出现失业情况。

“如果员工需要承担不同的角色，我们需要共同努力解决这个问题，”她说。