A self-driving vehicle operated by ComfortDelGro was involved in a collision with a road divider while undergoing testing in Punggol on Saturday, Jan 17. The incident happened at around 3.10 pm at Edgedale Plains, during what the company described as routine mapping and familiarisation works.
What Happened?
In response to queries from CNA on Sunday, ComfortDelGro explained that the autonomous vehicle detected a small object on the road while it was being tested. The company said the vehicle reacted based on its system response, before a safety operator onboard stepped in to take control manually. According to ComfortDelGro, “The safety operator on board proceeded to take over the steering of the vehicle manually. Unfortunately, the vehicle collided with the road divider during the manual takeover.”
There were no passengers in the vehicle at the time of the incident, and ComfortDelGro confirmed that no one was injured. The company also said that its self-driving vehicles will take a safety timeout while it reviews the incident together with the relevant authorities.
Photos circulating on social media showed that the front bumper of the self-driving car appeared to have sustained some damage as a result of the collision.
LTA Response
The Land Transport Authority said it had been informed of the incident by ComfortDelGro. LTA shared that the transport operator had begun road testing of the vehicle on Dec 15, 2025. These tests were carried out with a safety operator onboard and without passengers, and were meant to “calibrate sensors to local operating conditions”. LTA added that it will work with ComfortDelGro to review the incident thoroughly, and confirmed that ComfortDelGro will take a safety timeout following the collision.
The incident comes shortly after ComfortDelGro announced last month that it expects to begin trials of five five-seater autonomous vehicle shuttles in early 2026. In September last year, LTA had also said that the first autonomous shuttle services in Punggol are expected to open to the public by the second quarter of 2026.
ComfortDelGro is partnering with Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai to operate one of the three planned shuttle routes in Punggol. The other two routes will be run by Grab, using autonomous vehicles developed by another Chinese firm, WeRide.
ComfortDelGro’s route will link residents in Punggol Northshore to Oasis Terraces and Punggol Plaza. Those living in Waterway Sunrise will also be able to travel to One Punggol and Punggol Coast Mall. The company aims to make these autonomous shuttle rides available in 2026 through its CDG Zig app, under a “Zig Driverless” option.
