Sign-ups open for free Punggol self-driving shuttle rides from April 1

SINGAPORE – From March 25, the public can register online for a free ride on self-driving shuttle vehicles plying within Punggol, which begins on April 1.

They can reserve their slots and fill in their details at rideair.ai

In a Facebook post on March 25, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said people can choose from three routes – one from Punggol West to North, another from Punggol West to East, and a new “mini” 20-minute route from Punggol Coast Mall.

Starting from April 1, these rides will be free for an initial period.

Based on the booking page, slots are open for reservation from 9.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays from April 1 to May 1. The last ride for each day departs at 4.30pm.

There will be commentary on features of the autonomous vehicles (AVs) during the rides.

When revenue services start from the middle of 2026, each ride will cost $4, regardless of which stops commuters board or alight at.

The 10km route connecting Punggol West to East has four stops and takes around 35 minutes under smooth traffic conditions, stopping at Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces.

Another route from Punggol West to North – 12km long and lasting 40 minutes when traffic is smooth – has five stops. They are Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, One Punggol (Sam Kee LRT station), Punggol Northshore Block 420A, and Punggol Coast Mall (Bus Interchange).

Described as a “quick trial”, the third mini route will pass through One Punggol and Block 420A Punggol Northshore before returning to Punggol Coast Mall.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling previously announced the free public rides during the debate on her ministry’s budget on March 4. These rides will allow more people to experience AV technology and provide the operator with feedback to improve its service, she said.

Grab, together with Chinese AV company WeRide, is running both routes from Punggol West to East and from Punggol West to North.

At present, Grab and WeRide operate a fleet of 11 driverless vehicles here – 10 five-seat shuttles and one eight-seat Robobus.

AV shuttles operated by ComfortDelGro will ply a third route linking Punggol East to North, and are in the familiarisation phase. By-invitation rides for this route will start soon, noted Ms Sun.

The self-driving shuttles run by Grab have undergone extensive testing and clocked more than 25,000km on the road, said LTA.

Community rides have been taking place since January. Union leaders, including representatives from the National Trades Union Congress and its affiliated associations representing private-hire car and taxi drivers, as well as grassroots leaders, have taken the shuttles.