Half a dozen autonomous buses are expected to be on the roads of Singapore by 2026. — Photography joyt/Getty Images/AFP Relaxnews
Singapore is confirming its commitment to developing autonomous transport by launching a new call for pilot projects for driverless buses. By 2026, several of these vehicles should be operating on the streets of the city's financial centre.
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced the deployment, in mid-2026, of the first six 16-seat autonomous buses on routes 400 and 191, serving the Marina Bay and Shenton Way areas in the city-state's business district.
Initially, a driver will be on board as a safety operator. However, after six months of testing, a transition to remote supervision is planned. The idea is to deploy these buses for three years, in order to assess their usefulness, as well as the technical and operational feasibility of this venture prior to possible expansion.
This initiative is part of Singapore's strategy to promote innovative and sustainable transport solutions, particularly in response to the shortage of labor in the transport sector. Other similar projects have already been launched in Singapore, such as an autonomous minibus on the Sentosa island resort. This vehicle covers a 1.2-kilometer route in around 12 minutes, making a total of four stops. Again, although a driver is on board for safety reasons, the vehicle operates mainly autonomously. A few years ago, an autonomous electric bus also ran at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The government and local companies are working closely together in the field. Their aim is to integrate these new technologies into the public transport system throughout the city-state in the years to come. – AFP Relaxnews
