Waymo has partnered with Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as it prepares to enter the country’s robotaxi market. Its first batch of modified Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles will begin arriving in Singapore in the coming months as it establishes local operations.
The company plans to begin testing its autonomous fleet in Singapore in 2027. Initially, it will have trained autonomous driving specialists who will manually operate the electric vehicles, helping Waymo Driver, its patented autonomous driving system, adapt to local conditions, including road layouts and weather patterns. It aims to begin offering fully autonomous rides to the public through the Waymo app next year and has created a dedicated page on its website to keep potential customers informed of its progress.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow was present with Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana to officiate the announcement of the company’s launch in Singapore. He said employees working in Google’s Singapore office could be the first users of Waymo in the country, presumably as part of internal testing. The autonomous vehicles have traveled more than 160,000 kilometers during tests on fixed routes in Singapore without serious accidents, he added.
Singapore is testing autonomous passenger vehicles and also autonomous public buses. In the context of Waymo’s announcement, Siow said there are currently 16 passenger vehicles, all operating in Punggol. The country expects this number to increase to several hundred with the arrival of Waymo.
“Singapore has built one of the safest, most efficient and forward-thinking transportation ecosystems in the world. Its focus on reliability, sustainability and human-centered progress directly reflects how we have built Waymo’s technology and service,” said Mawakana.
The LTA said in a separate announcement that it will work closely with Waymo to ensure operations meet regulatory and safety requirements. Waymo will join local companies ComfortDelGro and Grab in the country’s autonomous vehicle initiatives when it begins testing next year.
waymo.com
