SINGAPORE - The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking into ways to build a transport system that can cope with challenges that may arise in future, and to develop new solutions to improve the current system.

One key move is to improve the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with the first 620 charging points in public carparks set to be completed within the next 12 months.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran explained some of the other initiatives in his speech at the Land Transport Industry Day on Friday (Sept 3).

1. Push for public-private partnerships

LTA and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) have launched an innovation call, Accelerating Co-Innovation for Transformation and Export (Xcite).

This initiative will see LTA and ESG work with businesses to explore solutions to improve productivity in transport operations and maintenance by leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence, image analysis and automation.

2. Standards for autonomous vehicles

LTA and the Singapore Standards Council, which is overseen by ESG, jointly announced the launch of a revised set of standards for autonomous vehicles (AVs) on Friday.

Provisional national standards, known as Technical Reference 68 (TR68), have been in place since 2019 to guide the development of autonomous vehicles in Singapore.

The updates to TR 68 will enhance critical areas such as operational safety in software design, machine learning, and cyber security, Mr Iswaran said.

3. Upskilling workers

Mr Iswaran said the Government will continue to work with the industry to improve the capabilities of workers.

He cited the example of a new Post-Graduate Certification for Urban Railway Technology that will be developed by LTA's Singapore Rail Academy, the Singapore Institute of Technology, SBS Transit and SMRT. The certification will seek to deepen the skills of local rail engineering professionals.