3 Autonomous Shuttle routes in Punggol to launch mid-2026

By mid-2026, residents in Punggol will be able to ride autonomous shuttle services as part of their daily commute.

The rollout was announced at the Autonomous Vehicles Roadshow held at Punggol Digital District on 20 September 2025. These driverless shuttles will improve first- and last-mile connectivity, shorten travel times, and pave the way for wider adoption of autonomous transport across the island.

3 autonomous shuttle routes will progressively be launched to connect different parts of Punggol. Routes are available for viewing at Punggol Autonomous Shuttle Services

Grab will operate two routes using autonomous vehicles (AV) developed by Chinese AV technology company WeRide. The autonomous vehicle service is called Ai.R , which stands for Autonomously Intelligent Rides. The fleet comprises 10 units of five-seater WeRide Robotaxi GXR and 1 unit of the eight-seater WeRide Robobus, the first AVs to pass Singapore’s Milestone 1 safety assessment.

Grab previously launched an autonomous shuttle bus service for its employees at one-north in July, in collaboration with Korean AV company Autonomous A2Z. The AVs at Punggol will be operated in collaboration with WeRide, which has trialled autonomous shuttle bus services at Resorts World Sentosa since 2024. Grab also announced an equity investment in WeRide back in August 2025.

ComfortDelGro will operate one route using 5 Toyota Sienna minivans from the Chinese AV technology company Pony.ai. The service will be called Zig Driverless.

Both companies carried out an AV pilot programme in Guangzhou in March 2025.

These autonomous vehicles will be purple in colour and labelled as “Autonomous Shuttle”, with an amber beacon mounted atop the AV, for easy identification by road users.

Background

Punggol was selected as the pilot site due to its established travel patterns and mature infrastructure, with trials to be conducted under the supervision of onboard safety operators. The initiative marks a significant step in integrating autonomous technology into Singapore’s public transport network. At the same time, the trials are supported by AV technology providers with a proven overseas track record. They have deployed AVs across multiple vehicle types, including shuttles and cars.

For the Punggol deployment, AV testing could begin as soon as late September 2025. The AVs will first undergo 1–2 months of rigorous testing and familiarisation, with a safety operator onboard. Afterwards, community members will be invited for free trial rides, before the full service launch.

Beyond Punggol, Tengah was also highlighted as the next potential site for AV deployment. Authorities aim to bring in around 100 to 150 vehicles by the end of 2026.

Industry & Workforce Impact

Grab and ComfortDelGro have already set up academies to train driver partners who are keen to transition to new jobs, including safety operators, remote operators and fleet managers, according to Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

In a separate AV initiative, the LTA has also tendered out an Autonomous Public Bus Pilot under Contract PT832. This pilot will see LTA purchase six autonomous buses, which will operate alongside existing manned buses starting in mid-2026 for an initial three-year period. These buses will be deployed on Bus Services 191 and 400 to evaluate their performance.

References

• Autonomous vehicles to transform intra-town travel by 2022 – Land Transport Authority / National Archives of Singapore [Retrieved 20 Sep 2025]
• Singapore to trial autonomous vehicles in Punggol from fourth quarter of 2025 – cna [Retrieved 20 Sep 2025]
• WeRide Unveils New Production Robotaxi GXR Leveraging 1,800 Days of Operations [Retrieved 20 Sep 2025]
• First autonomous shuttle service in Punggol to open to public by second quarter of 2026 – CNA [Retrieved 20 Sep 2025]
• Grab in Partnership with WeRide Unveils Ai.R Autonomous Service for Punggol | Grab SG [Retrieved 20 Sep 2025]

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