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Autonomous Vehicle Crashes into Punggol Road Divider, What Happened?

 



On January 17 2026, an autonomous vehicle operated by ComfortDelGro was involved in a collision with a road divider in Punggol. The incident took place at approximately 3:10 PM along Edgedale Plains while the vehicle was engaged in routine mapping and familiarization exercises. This specific vehicle is part of a trial that began on December 15 2025, aimed at calibrating sensors to local Singaporean road conditions in preparation for a wider public rollout.

According to a statement from ComfortDelGro, the autonomous vehicle’s sensors detected a small object on the roadway and initiated a programmed response. In accordance with safety protocols, the on-board safety operator intervened to take manual control of the steering. However, during this manual takeover process, the vehicle collided with the road divider. Fortunately, there were no passengers inside the shuttle at the time of the accident, and the safety operator did not sustain any injuries.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) was promptly notified of the incident. In the interest of public safety, the LTA has mandated a safety timeout for ComfortDelGro’s entire fleet of autonomous vehicles currently being tested in Punggol. During this period, the LTA and ComfortDelGro will conduct a thorough joint review to determine the exact cause of the collision and to ensure that all safety systems are functioning as intended. ComfortDelGro, which operates one of the three planned autonomous routes in Punggol in partnership with the Chinese firm Pony.ai, confirmed it is cooperating fully with the authorities.

Ms. Sun Xueling, the Member of Parliament for Punggol, released a statement on Facebook to address the concerns of local residents. She emphasized that the primary goal of introducing autonomous shuttles is to improve "last-mile connectivity" for the community, providing easier access to essential services like the polyclinic, markets, and transport hubs. However, she was firm in stating that safety cannot be compromised for the sake of technological advancement. Ms. Sun provided clarity regarding the different operations in the estate, noting that the accident occurred on Route 2.

She further explained that Route 1—which serves areas such as Matilda Court, Clover estate, Punggol Plaza, and Oasis Terraces—remains operational for by-invite rides. This is because Route 1 is managed by a different operator, Grab, in partnership with WeRide. These vehicles utilize different software systems and are a different vehicle type compared to the ComfortDelGro shuttles. Since January 12 2026, some residents have already participated in these invite-only trials for Route 1, which are designed to gather feedback before a full public rollout expected in the next few months.

The Ministry of Transport and the LTA have reiterated their commitment to working closely with all operators to ensure that testing is conducted under the highest safety standards. The findings of the investigation into the January 17 incident will be made public once the review is finalized. Residents with specific concerns or questions regarding the autonomous vehicle trials in Punggol have been invited to contact Ms. Sun Xueling directly via her official email address. As of now, the timeline for the resumption of ComfortDelGro's Route 2 testing remains dependent on the outcome of the safety review.

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