Free rides on ComfortDelGro driverless shuttles kick off in Punggol

SINGAPORE – For Punggol resident Oh Kim, ComfortDelGro’s (CDG) autonomous vehicles (AVs) could potentially be an alternative to travelling on the town’s LRT system to get to the polyclinic.

The 48-year-old civil servant was among the first group of people who took the transport operator’s free driverless shuttle rides which were launched on June 22.

Oh took the 25-minute route linking Block 420A Northshore Drive, Punggol Coast Mall and One Punggol at Sam Kee LRT station.

She described the current transport arrangements in the housing estate as “very inconvenient”.

To get to the polyclinic from her home in Northshore Drive, she has to walk about 10 minutes to Samudera LRT station on the Punggol West LRT loop and ride four stops to Punggol station, before switching to the Punggol East LRT loop to take in another two stations.

“If I’m ill and need to go to the polyclinic, I think I’ll try using this method once it’s available,” she said of the AVs, adding that they would also be beneficial to the elderly.

From July 1, a longer, 50-minute route will also be available, linking seven stops, including Oasis Terraces, where the polyclinic is located.

Bookings for the rides can be made at zig.sg/driverless or via CDG’s Zig app.

There are a total of 230 slots each day for the shorter route. A CDG spokesperson said the transport operator expected about 80 per cent of the slots on launch day to be booked.

The rides operate from 9.30am to 5.30pm daily.

The five-seater AVs are made by Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai. Safety officers will be behind the wheel, ready to intervene where necessary.

Besides Punggol residents, people came from other parts of Singapore on June 22 to experience riding in an AV.

They included 80-year-old Chak Siew Cheun and his wife. The retirees travelled all the way from Bedok, saying they had read about the launch of the rides and asked their friend to help them make a booking.

“It’s a new experience. It was our first time trying an AV and the ride was so smooth. We didn’t feel any difference between this and a normal taxi ride,” said Chak.

CDG is one of two operators working towards offering autonomous shuttle services in Punggol. Grab has been offering free public rides since April 1, covering three routes.

The Grab routes connect residents to amenities such as Punggol Coast MRT station, Punggol Coast Bus Interchange, malls and the polyclinic.

CDG has not announced its fares for its revenue service. A spokesperson said the operator is discussing the fares and the start date for revenue service with the Land Transport Authority.

Competitor Grab will charge a flat fare of $4 when it begins its revenue service. The start date has not been announced.

When asked if he would be willing to pay that amount, Chak said “yes”, as he and his wife usually spend about $10 to $12 when they book a short-distance ride-hailing journey.

When The Straits Times attempted to make a booking through the Zig app, there was an initial error saying no vehicles were available.

After ST eventually made a booking, the app said the AV would arrive in 10 minutes. But a minute away from the pick-up time, it said a new booking had to be made owing to an “operational pause”.

The next AV arrived 15 minutes later. Barring the long waiting time, the journey was uneventful.

Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling, who is also Senior Minister of State for Transport, visited Block 420A Northshore Drive earlier in the morning to speak to those trying out the AV rides.

On Facebook, she said more than 6,000 people have ridden in the AVs since January, when invited individuals began trying the shuttles.

“I hope the autonomous shuttles will continue to bring greater convenience and connectivity for residents and visitors in Punggol,” she said.