[SINGAPORE] Two Chinese companies said on Saturday (Sep 20) that they will partner local firms to launch autonomous vehicle shuttle services in Singapore, as the city-state expands into autonomous driving.
The autonomous vehicle technology companies, WeRide and Pony.ai, will partner companies in the Republic for shuttle services on three fixed routes in the Punggol area.
Ride-hailing operator Grab will collaborate with WeRide on two routes, while Pony.ai will work with transport operator ComfortDelGro on a single route.
Testing of the vehicles – without passengers – will begin next week in preparation for passenger trials in early 2026. The move will eventually lead to full commercial operation.
Grab said it will begin taking passengers on five and eight-seater vehicle models from WeRide from early 2026 after an initial familiarisation phase for the vehicles to study the routes in detail.
In July, WeRide was granted a permit from the Shanghai municipal government to operate autonomous robotaxi ride-hailing services.
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Pony.ai said in a statement it also plans to introduce autonomous services in Punggol with fixed routes before expanding to other areas. It said services will begin in the coming months after obtaining regulatory approval.
Pony.ai now operates commercial robotaxis in four of China’s largest cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The Toyota-backed company has been exploring the deployment of its driverless service in South Korea, Luxembourg, the Middle East and other countries after raising US$260 million from its Nasdaq listing in November. It has said it plans to grow its robotaxi fleet to 1,000 by the end of this year.
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The Singapore government has been exploring autonomous driving technology, with Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow visiting several autonomous driving companies in China in June. Singapore already has smaller zones testing out the technology. REUTERS
