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Singapore's First Public Autonomous Shuttles Launch in Punggol in 2026

 




Singapore is set to welcome its first public autonomous shuttle services, with the initial route in Punggol opening to residents by the second quarter of 2026. The Land Transport Authority announced the initiative, which will feature three routes operated by transport giants Grab and ComfortDelGro in partnership with autonomous vehicle technology companies.

Two of the routes will be operated by Grab using autonomous vehicles developed by the technology company WeRide. The third route will be operated by ComfortDelGro using vehicles from the technology company Pony.ai. The shuttle fleet will initially consist of a mix of five to eight-seater vehicles. For easy identification by all road users, the shuttles will be painted a distinct purple color and will be clearly labeled as an autonomous shuttle.

The first route to launch, operated by Grab, will connect residents from the Matilda Court and Punggol Clover areas to the polyclinic at Oasis Terraces via Punggol Plaza. This service is scheduled to run from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and will not require pre-booking. The subsequent routes will be launched progressively. ComfortDelGro's route will connect Punggol Northshore to Oasis Terraces and Punggol Plaza, and will also provide a link for Waterway Sunrise residents to One Punggol and Punggol Coast Mall. The final Grab route will connect Matilda Court, Punggol Clover, and Punggol Northshore to One Punggol and Punggol Coast Mall. It is estimated that these new services will cut public transport travel times for residents by up to 15 minutes.

Punggol was selected for this pilot due to its diverse resident demographic and clear travel patterns that can be better served by this technology. The shuttles are expected to significantly improve connectivity within the town, particularly providing first-mile and last-mile connections to key transport nodes. Authorities aim to introduce around 10 autonomous vehicles by the end of this year, scaling up to approximately 100 to 150 vehicles by the end of 2026.

Safety has been emphasized as the paramount priority. Each autonomous shuttle will have a safety operator on board during operations. The vehicles will first undergo a rigorous testing and familiarization process expected to take one to two months. This process will utilize a suite of sensors and cameras installed on every vehicle, providing a 360-degree field of vision. Following this testing phase, members of the community will be invited in stages to board the shuttle service for free to experience how it works and provide feedback.

The initiative also focuses on workforce transition. Both Grab and ComfortDelGro have established academies to train driver partners who are interested in transitioning to new roles such as safety operators, remote operators, and fleet managers. Training for safety operators on Grab's vehicles has been underway since August, with more than ten driver-partners already participating. The service pricing has not been finalized but is expected to be set between public transport and ride-hailing fares to ensure the service is both attractive and affordable for the public.

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