A vehicle of a self-driving taxi service operates on a street in Gangnam District, Seoul, Sept. 26. Yonhap

KG Mobility said Friday it plans to expand service routes and car models for its trial-based nighttime autonomous taxi service in Seoul through technology cooperation with its project partner.

KG Mobility said it seeks to push the level of self-driving technology currently used in the company's nighttime self-driving taxi service in Seoul's southern Gangnam district to that of level 4 through partnership with local software company SWM.

The automaker launched the service last month with three self-driving hail taxi units in the 11.7-square-kilometer area in central Gangnam and part of the neighboring Seocho-dong during late night hours from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

KG Mobility plans to expand unmanned taxi service to additional areas, including the nearby neighborhoods of Sinsa, Nonhyeon and parts of Samsung-dong in the near future.

Level 4 autonomous driving refers to the technology stage where human intervention is almost entirely unnecessary in automotive driving.

KG Mobility is furthering research in safety verification for autonomous driving systems through its participation in a government-funded project centered around technology development involving level 4 autonomous driving since last year. (Yonhap)