Self-driving shuttle services in Punggol will officially open to the public from April 1. Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow announced in Parliament on March 4 while presenting the Ministry of Transport’s budget plans.
The autonomous vehicle trials started in September last year. The aim was to study how self-driving vehicles can operate in Singapore’s local environment. Mr Siow said the trials have run smoothly and safely, and they received strong support from residents in Punggol.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling shared that rides will be free during the initial launch period. From the middle of the year, a S$4 fare will apply. Members of the public can sign up for rides through Grab, which will release registration details closer to the launch date.
The self-driving shuttle service currently runs on two routes. Around 740 people took part in the trial period. Ms Sun said, “Many commented that the rides were smooth and comfortable, and 99 per cent said they would recommend the service to others.” She also explained that the shuttles offer last-mile connections that were not previously available and can reduce travel time by up to 15 minutes.
A third route, operated by ComfortDelGro, is making “good progress in familiarisation”. If the rollout in Punggol goes well, Mr Siow said he plans to expand autonomous vehicle trials to other areas such as Sentosa, Tuas and Mandai.
There are also plans for autonomous public buses. The Land Transport Authority awarded an S$8.14 million contract last year to pilot autonomous buses on Service 400 in Marina Bay and Service 191 in One-North. Trials for both services are expected to start in the second half of this year. However, Mr Siow noted, “But for technological and commercial reasons, autonomous buses are developing more slowly than autonomous cars.” He added, “So we will continue to watch this space closely.”
