ComfortDelGro wins tender for next-generation driving school replacing Bt Batok Driving Centre
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ComfortDelGro Driving Centre bid $38 million for the site of the new driving school in Lorong Bistari, near Kranji Camp III.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – A new multi-storey driving school in Choa Chu Kang
In a joint statement on March 3, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the centre was the highest bidder for the 24,890 sq m plot in Lorong Bistari.
Located near Kranji Camp III, the next-generation driving centre will be the second multi-storey driving school in Singapore, after the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, which opened in 2010.
The facility will not only utilise technology to teach new drivers
Currently, individuals applying for such licences can undergo training and testing only at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre in Woodlands.
The Choa Chu Kang site was launched for public tender on Oct 8, 2025, and had received two bids when it closed on Feb 26.
Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC) submitted the only other bid at slightly over $25 million.
Mr Vincent Tan, chief executive of ComfortDelGro Driving Centre, said the centre is “honoured to be entrusted with the space”, adding that it will continue working closely with the SPF and Traffic Police to provide “enhanced, technology-driven, high-quality driving education and contribute to safer roads for all”.
Designed as a next-generation driving centre, the school will have two or more intelligent driving circuits equipped with sensors and real-time monitoring systems to assess learner proficiency and maintain standardised training practices. Each circuit will cover an area of at least 22,000 sq m.
The driving centre will have a maximum allowable gross floor area of 72,500 sq m across multiple levels, housing driving circuits and related facilities. It will also include at least two nursery circuits, each spanning at least 18,000 sq m, designed for car and motorcycle learners to acquire basic skills.
Additionally, at least 5,050 sq m will be set aside for supplementary purposes, including classrooms, simulator training facilities, administration offices, a customer service area, and a multi-purpose hall containing a road safety awareness gallery. There will also be at least one cafeteria.
The new centre, which will replace BBDC when it is phased out by December 2030, is designed to optimise land use while providing comprehensive training facilities to meet the growing demand for driving licences, URA and SPF said on Oct 8, 2025.
The BBDC site, meanwhile, has been zoned for housing.
Opened in 1990, it has served more than 20,000 students annually across various courses. Its lease, which expired in 2018, has been extended multiple times, with the latest set to last until Dec 31, 2028.
Lorong Bistari, which is currently an access road for a semi-permanent migrant worker dormitory, will have to be realigned into a dual carriageway road by the successful bidder to serve the future driving centre, URA and SPF had said earlier.
