Punggol self-driving shuttles open to public for free from April 1; flat $4 fee per ride from mid-2026

Interested members of the public will be able to register online for a ride on two routes from March 25. Punggol self-driving shuttles open to public for free from April 1; flat $4 fee per ride from mid-2026 Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxInterested members of the public will be able to register online for a ride on two routes from March 25.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAYEsther LoiSummarySummarySelf-driving shuttles in Punggol will offer free rides for a limited time from April 1, 2026, before costing $4 from mid-2026.Grab, partnering WeRide, operates two Punggol routes; ComfortDelGro manages a third.Authorities are thinking of deploying AVs in Sentosa, Tuas, and Mandai, prioritising areas with long journey times.AI generatedPublished Mar 04, 2026, 05:35 PMUpdated Mar 04, 2026, 05:42 PMSINGAPORE – Members of the public will be able to take self-driving shuttle vehicles plying within Punggol for free from April 1, 2026.These rides will be free for an initial period, and cost a flat fare of $4 per passenger when revenue service starts from the middle of 2026. Interested members of the public will be able to register online for a ride on two routes from March 25. More details will be provided by operator Grab, which is partnering Chinese AV company WeRide to run the routes from Punggol West to East and from Punggol West to North. Announcing these details during the debate on her ministry’s budget on March 4, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said this will allow more people to experience autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and provide feedback for the operator to improve its service. There will be commentary on features of the AVs during the rides, she added.Ms Sun said around 740 people have tried the shuttles, with 99 per cent saying they would recommend the service to others.The self-driving shuttles run by Grab have undergone extensive testing and clocked more than 25,000km on the roads, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).The 10km route connecting Punggol West to East has four stops and takes around 35 minutes, stopping at Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces.The other route from Punggol West to North – 12km in length and 40 minutes in duration – has five stops, which are Punggol Matilda Court Block 234, Punggol Clover Block 204A, One Punggol (Sam Kee LRT), Punggol Northshore Block 420A and Punggol Coast Mall (Bus Interchange). Ms Sun said that from the middle of this year, commuters may board and alight at any stop along both routes at a flat fare of $4 per passenger.These AV rides will enhance connectivity to key amenities and transport nodes for residents within Punggol, said LTA, and cut their travel times on public transport by up to 15 minutes.On the third route, Ms Sun said the AVs on the route linking Punggol East to North, operated by ComfortDelGro, are making “good progress in familiarisation”.She added that the authorities are looking forward to starting by-invite rides for this route soon. More details will be shared when ready. Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said he plans to trial AVs in other parts of Singapore, listing Sentosa, Tuas and Mandai as possibilities.He added that this will depend on whether there is interest from AV companies and commuters in these areas.Responding to queries on the future rollout of AVs, LTA said it will prioritise areas with longer public transport journey times to work and amenities, as well as areas that taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers are less willing to travel to. On the future of AVs, Mr Siow said: “It will be some time yet before we see mass deployment of autonomous passenger vehicles on our roads.” He noted that there are fewer than 7,000 such AVs in the world today - a tiny fraction of the total vehicle population in Singapore. More on this topicPunggol self-driving vehicle’s collision due to human interventionHow new self-driving vehicles in Singapore are tested before they hit the roads Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.See more onSingapore ParliamentBudget 2026Self-driving vehiclesPublic transportLTA