Punggol self-driving shuttles open to public for free from April 1; flat $4 fee per ride from mid-2026
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Interested members of the public will be able to register online for a ride on two routes from March 25.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
- Self-driving shuttles in Punggol will offer free rides for a limited time from April 1, 2026, before costing $4 from mid-2026.
- Grab, partnering WeRide, operates two Punggol routes; ComfortDelGro manages a third.
- Authorities are thinking of deploying AVs in Sentosa, Tuas, and Mandai, prioritising areas with long journey times.
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SINGAPORE – Members of the public will be able to take self-driving shuttle vehicles plying within Punggol
These rides will be free for an initial period, and cost a flat fare of $4 per passenger when revenue services start from the middle of 2026.
Interested members of the public can register online for a ride on two routes from March 25. More details will be provided by operator Grab, which is partnering Chinese autonomous vehicle (AV) company WeRide to run the routes from Punggol West to East and from Punggol West to North.
Announcing these details during the debate on her ministry’s budget on March 4, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said this will allow more people to experience AV technology and provide feedback for the operator to improve its service.
There will be commentary on features of the AVs during the rides, she added.
Ms Sun said around 740 people have tried the shuttles, with 99 per cent saying they would recommend the service to others.
The self-driving shuttles run by Grab have undergone extensive testing and clocked more than 25,000km on the road, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The 10km route connecting Punggol West to East has four stops and takes around 35 minutes, stopping at Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces.
The other route from Punggol West to North – 12km in length and 40 minutes in duration – has five stops, which are Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, One Punggol (Sam Kee LRT), Punggol Northshore Block 420A and Punggol Coast Mall (Bus Interchange).
Ms Sun said that from the middle of 2026, commuters may board and alight at any stop along both routes for a flat fare of $4 per passenger.
These AV rides will enhance connectivity to key amenities and transport nodes for residents within Punggol, said LTA, and cut their travel times on public transport by up to 15 minutes.
On the third route, linking Punggol East to North, operated by ComfortDelGro, the AVs are making “good progress in familiarisation”, said Ms Sun. She added that the authorities are looking forward to starting by-invite rides for this route soon. More details will be shared when ready.
Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said he plans to trial AVs in other parts of Singapore, listing Sentosa, Tuas and Mandai as possibilities. He added that this will depend on whether there is interest from AV companies and commuters in these areas.
Responding to queries on the future roll-out of AVs, LTA said it will prioritise areas with longer public transport journey times to work and amenities, as well as areas that taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers are less willing to travel to.
On the future of AVs, Mr Siow said: “It will be some time yet before we see mass deployment of autonomous passenger vehicles on our roads.”
He noted that there are fewer than 7,000 such AVs in the world today – a tiny fraction of the total vehicle population in Singapore.
Responding to Workers’ Party MP Louis Chua’s (Sengkang GRC) suggestion to accelerate the roll-out of AVs across the entire transport system, Mr Siow said the development of autonomous buses is slower than that of autonomous cars due to technological and commercial reasons.
He added that the authorities will continue to watch this space closely.
Mr Siow said LTA will launch trials for self-driving public buses
