South Korea's largest telecom company has been given the green light to temporarily test its self-driving bus.
 
KT Corporation said Friday that while the government has issued scores of permits to test autonomous cars, this is the first time that it has authorized a test for a bus.
 
This was due to the fact that buses, unlike cars, don't allow electronic control of the vehicle using handles, brakes or other traditional auto parts. Also, as sensors have to be installed at a significant height, it is difficult for buses to recognize objects around them.
 
KT said its self-driving bus carries a location tracking system using the telecom company's radio network in addition to the LiDar sensing system and a platooning feature.
 
The telecom giant plans to begin test-driving its buses on city streets this month.