Free autonomous shuttle rides kick off in Punggol; over 1,000 sign-ups so far
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The autonomous vehicles (AVs) for the public autonomous shuttle rides in Punggol on April 1.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
- Free autonomous shuttle rides launched in Punggol on April 1, 2026, operated by Grab and WeRide, attracting over 1,000 sign-ups.
- Passengers on the first rides felt safe, noting the smooth acceleration and sensor awareness, though some desired faster speeds.
- Three routes are available, with a $4 flat fee planned for mid-2026, but some passengers feel this price should be lower.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – The first day of free public autonomous shuttle rides in Punggol attracted both residents and those living farther to try out the service.
Ang Liang Tze, 17, who lives in Ang Mo Kio, signed up as soon as applications for the rides opened on March 25, 2026.
The student, who is starting an engineering course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), wanted to experience the technology first-hand, noting that autonomous systems are one of the specialisations in his course.
Grab, which is operating the shuttles in partnership with Guangzhou-based autonomous vehicle (AV) company WeRide, said that more than 1,000 people have signed up for the rides in the upcoming weeks since applications opened.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling, who is also an MP for Punggol GRC, was at Punggol Coast Mall to meet passengers before the first shuttle bus ride departed at around 9.30am on April 1.
In a Facebook post, Ms Sun said that the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority are looking forward to receiving feedback from members of the public on the rides.
Passengers on the first two rides from the Punggol mall told The Straits Times that they felt safe being seated in the shuttle. The vehicle, which can take up to five passengers at a time, has a safety operator seated in the front.
Sengkang resident Neo Khoon Eng, 60, was impressed at how the vehicle accelerated smoothly and reacted correctly when it encountered pedestrians crossing at traffic junctions.
Mr Darren Tan, 25, a visitor experience agent who lives in Novena, felt that the ride was smoother compared with one with a human driver. However, he thought that the AV could go a little faster.
Tok Kong Yew, 17, who is set to begin a design course at NP later in 2026, said the screen on the AV showed what the sensors were picking up, such as other road users and pedestrians. This feature reassured him that the vehicle was fully aware of its surroundings.
He said that it felt safer compared with vehicles with human drivers, who may not always be as attentive on the road.
Three routes are available for booking, and the rides are free of charge for the time being. A safety operator is on board at all times, for now, ready to intervene if needed. Passengers have to scan a QR code with their Grab phone app to start their ride.
One route is a 10km loop that takes passengers from Punggol West to East. The AV makes four stops – at Block 234 Punggol Matilda Court, Block 204A Punggol Clover, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces – and takes around 35 minutes for the trip.
Punggol Way residents George Kwok (left, passenger seat) and his wife Michelle Pong (right, passenger seat) on the autonomous shuttle with safety operator Sarah Ahmad (right) on April 1.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Another route is a 12km-long loop that takes around 40 minutes to complete. There are five stops on the route – Block 234 Punggol Matilda Court, Block 204A Punggol Clover, One Punggol (Sam Kee LRT), Block 420A Punggol Northshore and Punggol Coast Mall (bus interchange).
The third one is a short 20-minute loop that starts from Punggol Coast Mall, passing Sam Kee LRT and Block 420A Punggol Northshore Drive.
While the AV will stop at the planned stops along the route, during this initial phase, passengers are not allowed to alight.
By mid-2026, a flat fee of $4 per passenger will be charged when revenue service begins. Grab said that it is using the current period to gather user feedback and insights on usage patterns to refine the service and pricing standards.
Grab currently has 11 AVs for the service in Punggol. Besides one eight-seater robobus, the remaining 10 AVs are five-seater WeRide GXR electric vehicles.
Within the year, one more AV shuttle route will be introduced in Punggol. Operated by ComfortDelGro, the route is a 12km-long loop with seven stops, including Punggol Plaza, Punggol Coast Mall (bus interchange) and Oasis Terraces, which is an integrated development.
Passengers interviewed by ST on April 1 generally felt the fee should be lower and that the service needs to be extended to more places before they will consider using AV shuttles in their daily commute. They acknowledge, however, that the service will likely be a more premium option to traditional public transport.
Mr Neo, the Sengkang resident, said: “Eventually, the trip should cost less than a private-hire car since there is no need to pay for a driver.”
